Irreplaceable
by Yumemi-chan
Summary: [Chapter 16] After a year of seperation from Konoha, Naruto finally returns in order to attend another Chuunin Exam. With him, he brings 2 teammates and an unimaginable lineage. One no one ever imagined. Formerly titled Return of the Unforgettable
1. Return to Konoha

A/N: One day, I was looking through a Japanese Naruto Fan-art site, and I came across this picture, [ http://konjo.sub.jp/works/naruto/illust/i_07.html ], and I just lost it. It was so realistically futuristic, that I knew I had to write something about it. So that¡¦s basically how this story got started.   
  
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Chapter 01: Return To Konoha  
  
==============================  
  
It had been a long, hard night, she didn¡¦t get any sleep at all, and somehow, the mountain of paperwork that sat on her desk since 15 hours earlier was STILL THERE. So the 5th Hokage of Konoha did not expect to hear a voice of any kind suddenly say:   
  
¡§Ohayo, Tsunade-baachan.¡¨  
  
Under normal circumstances, the mentioned Tsunade-hime would not hesitate to fly into an uncontrollable tantrum from lack of sleep, and promptly toss the intruder out in the method that caused the greatest pain to the trespasser¡¦s rear end. But this time, however, Hokage or not, at that moment, all rage fled from the mentioned Tsunade-hime. The thought of throwing the intruder out never occurred, and neither did the thought of yelling at whoever it was for disturbing her at 6 in the morning cross her mind. All she did, all she could do, was stare.   
  
Even before she looked at the speaker, she knew who it was. Only one person- one person- has ever had the nerve to call her that, and still be alive, much less tell the tale. And that person was---  
  
¡§Naruto.¡¨ She said, barely containing the shock in her voice. ¡§So you¡¦re back.¡¨ Her voice, even though it held sincere gladness at seeing him again, could not disguise the undertone of surprise.   
  
¡§You haven¡¦t changed a bit, have you, obaa-san?¡¨ he said with a hint of humor.   
  
¡§Well you sure have, Naruto.¡¨ She said. And it took her a moment to realize how true her words were.   
  
Naruto had definitely transformed into something else. The bright orange jumpsuit had been replaced with a black outfit completed with a thick red scarf. His headband was no longer displayed proudly on his forehead. Its place of honor now was around his right upper-arm in a fashion similar to Shikamaru¡¦s. And the hair previously held up by his forehead protector was now carefully brushed so that it barely covered his right eye. But there was something else missing about him. Something she couldn¡¦t put her finger on...  
  
¡§Well, I guess I have.¡¨ He said, smiling. Right then, she figured it out. The most evident change of all. His smile.   
  
It was no longer carefree and a permanent feature on his face. It was more controlled, and somewhat tentative. It was the smile of someone who had been through too much to be able to laugh easily. But the genuine happiness behind that small grin seemed to make up for any differences between then and now.  
  
¡§Did you... have you come back to stay for good?¡¨  
  
¡§Umm... no.¡¨ he said sheepishly, much to her disappointment. ¡§I¡¦ve come back to take the Chuunin Exam again.¡¨  
  
¡§But your teammates... Someone¡¦s been reassigned in your place.¡¨  
  
¡§I know. So I thought I should come here first and introduce you to my new teammates.¡¨ He nodded toward two people behind them that Tsunade has not noticed before.   
  
Her eyes widened. ¡§They¡¦re your teammates?¡¨ she asked incredulously. ¡§But they¡¦re so...¡¨  
  
His ¡¥team¡¦ consisted of a boy and a girl. They both had black hair, dressed in black, and from the looks of it, were twins. The reason for her disbelief lied in their age. They looked, at most, 10 year of age, if not less.   
  
Naruto laughed. ¡§Tsunade baa-chan, I would like to meet Akito and Kai.¡¨ He bent down and slung his arms over the shoulders of the two. ¡§They¡¦re my baby cousin.¡¨   
  
¡§WHAT?¡¨ Honestly, this was too much. ¡§Your cousins? You have cousins?¡¨   
  
He smiled. ¡§Hai. Uzumaki Akito and Uzumaki Kurakai. My travels took me straight to them and the rest of the Uzumaki clan.¡¨   
  
¡§The Uzumaki clan?¡¨  
  
¡§Yea. I¡¦ll tell you all about it later, but we have to go, we have to register for the exam. See you around, Baa-chan.¡¨  
  
She nodded. ¡§Alright.¡¨ Then, right before her eyes, the three of them vanished. No puff, no smoke, and no hand seals. They just dematerialized. And it took a high leveled ninja to just vanish like that. Naruto and those two children... they were definitely beyond the Chuunin level. Who knows what level they were? And when did he have family of any kind? Where has he been all these years? AND WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS JIRAIYA?!   
  
She sighed, and rubbed her head.   
  
When did things become so complicated?  
  
==============================  
  
--- 3 Days Later ---  
  
¡§So are you ready?¡¨  
  
Naruto glanced up at the impassive face of his 10-year-old cousin, Kai. After a while, he had gotten used to the way she spoke. Frank, and to the point with little discussion.   
  
¡§I guess I am.¡¨ He replied, slipping on his left shoe. ¡§Why?¡¨  
  
¡§Because I could never figure out why you suddenly want to come back here just to take a test that doesn¡¦t even matter.¡¨  
  
He heaved a sigh. ¡§I want to see my friends one last time. That¡¦s it. I also had a feeling that they¡¦d try out for the Exam this year. So now we¡¦ll see if I¡¦m right.¡¨  
  
¡§Don¡¦t worry Naruto-niisan.¡¨ Came a slightly cheerier voice. ¡§Your instincts are pretty good.¡¨ The speaker was the other one of the twins, the boy. ¡§I¡¦m pretty sure that the people your always talking about are there.¡¨  
  
¡§Whatever.¡¨ Said Kai. ¡§Can we go now?¡¨  
  
¡§Yea.¡¨ Naruto said, giving the room one last look. ¡§Let¡¦s go.¡¨   
  
==============================  
  
In cases like these, you are often forced to wonder if there really is something called destiny. Either that, or you marvel at Naruto¡¦s astounding ability to predict an outcome. All the teams who had participated with him the first time around were back. Neji, Lee, Ten-Ten, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and even Gaara¡¦s team from the Sand were back for a second round. One could only guess the troubles the Sand Nins had to go through to register once again, but they were allowed back anyhow, despite the obvious loathing the Leaf Nins had for them.   
  
The only former-rookie team that had been modified was Team 07. After Naruto left, Sasuke and Sakura got a new teammate to replace him. And that new teammate?  
  
Ino.  
  
It wasn¡¦t that big of a surprise. Shikamaru was already a Chuunin, and Chouji was still rehabilitating from his wounds obtained during his fight with the Sound Nins. Neji had been luckier of the two, and healed within 2 months, but Chouji was less than fortunate, and was in no condition to stand, much less participate in such an examination.   
  
Sakura and Sasuke didn¡¦t really mind her all that much. In their words, Ino ¡¥kept things interesting¡¦.   
  
==============================  
  
Just like the last time they had tried out, the 3 Leaf teams were huddled near the door, talking excitedly among themselves about just how easily they were going to pass this exam. Their relations between each other seemed to have greatly improved since last time, and they were arguing playfully about who was going to do what, how they were going to do it, and that this time around, it would be ¡¥a cinch¡¦.   
  
Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal the last of the people who arrived. They were considerably late, and probably would have been disqualified if the examiners had been on time as well. But when they turned to look at the newcomers, they froze in complete and utter shock.   
  
There in the doorway stood a boy who had been missing for an entire year. His absence was painfully obvious, and they had spent much time trying to ¡¥get over it¡¦, and now there he was, just standing there like no time had passed.   
  
Finally, someone broke the silence:  
  
¡§Naruto?!¡¨  
  
============================================================  
  
AN: I¡¦m going to let you people vote for the pairings. But this time, it HAS TO BE A HETERO pairings. None of the Shounen Ai stuff in this story, aite?   
  
You can vote for any number of pairings, just has to be heterosexual. Pair Naruto with any girl, pair any other girl with any other person, I don¡¦t care. Just don¡¦t pair anyone up with anyone that¡¦s dead.   
  
Any questions, comments, or just want to talk : icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com  
  
-Yume 


	2. The First Exam

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Chapter 02: The First Exam  
  
==============================  
  
¡§Ohayo everyone.¡¨ Naruto said, grinning at their faces, who would normally be hilarious had the circumstance not been so astonishing. ¡§How are you?¡¨  
  
¡§OHAYO? HOW ARE YOU?¡¨ Sakura screeched angrily, recovering quickly from the surprise of seeing her long-lost teammate. ¡§YOU¡¦VE BEEN MISSING FOR A YEAR, AND NOW YOU COME BACK AND SAY ¡¥Ohayo?¡¦ AND ¡¥How are you¡¦ LIKE YOU¡¦VE NEVER BEEN GONE?¡¨  
  
¡§Hai.¡¨ He said. ¡§And Sakura-chan, your attracting a lot of unwanted attention.¡¨  
  
Hearing his voice and the calm, smooth tone it held made Sakura lose a lot of fire, and miraculously halted her impending rant. He glanced around.   
  
//Everyone's changed.// he thought. And he was right. Their hairs were either longer or shorter, their features were more defined, and their statures were bigger. Of the original Team 07, Sakura¡¦s hair was much shorter, and was styled so that one side was longer than the other. Sasuke was probably the one who changed the least. He had traded in his blue shirt for a black one, but other than that, he remained the same.  
  
¡§Naruto.¡¨ Neji suddenly said, ¡§Where have you been for the last few months?¡¨  
  
¡§I¡¦ll tell anyone who wants to know once the exam is over.¡¨   
  
¡§You¡¦re taking the exam too, Naruto-kun?¡¨ asked Hinata, who, despite what the Main Family used to believe, finally grew a backbone and getting rid of her stammer had been a big help. However, she still could not make her voice go above her whisper, in spite of Kiba¡¦s valiant efforts.   
  
¡§Hai.¡¨   
  
¡§But... it¡¦s a team examination...¡¨  
  
¡§Team?¡¨ he asked vaguely, mentally wondering why everyone kept overlooking the two. ¡§Yea I have a team.¡¨ He nodded towards the set of twins behind him that everyone seemed to notice only after he acknowledged them.   
  
Their faces? Let¡¦s just say they were a little more than stupefied. Team 07¡¦s faces, especially. A ten year girl and a ten year old boy, presumably her brother, seemed like sorry substitutes for the two of them. They would have voiced that, had not the instructors ¡¥puffed¡¦ in at that moment.   
  
¡§QUIET DOWN YOU USELESS BASTARDS!¡¨   
  
Morino Ibiki and a group of instructors suddenly ¡¥puffed¡¦ and appeared at the head of the room surveying the Genins with righteous superiority.   
  
¡§Thank you for waiting.¡¨ He said, ¡§I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the Chuunin Selection Exam¡¦s First Test, which begins approximately... now.¡¨  
  
¡§Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will draw a number from this box, and sit at the number assigned to you. Then we will hand out the exams.¡¨   
  
¡§A paper test?¡¨ For the people who weren¡¦t there last year, this came suddenly, and at once, they were murmuring about ¡¥this wasn¡¦t what they signed up for¡¦.   
  
¡§Do not turn over the tests yet.¡¨ He said as one by one, they seated themselves in the proper seat. ¡§Listen to me closely, there are a lot of rules in this first test, no questions asked. First rule, this is a team test. Each person starts with ten points. Any person caught cheating during the test will have 2 points taken off every time they¡¦re caught. Those who lose all their points will be disqualified along with their teammates.¡¨   
  
//Oh my god.// Naruto thought, slumping forward on his desk, //It¡¦s just the same as last year.// He snickered. //Turns out the Hokage-sama doesn¡¦t have an imagination of any kind. Sad.// He could even mentally play the scene in his head. The Jounins appeal for other ideas, and an unconcerned Tsunade waving her hand, saying ¡§Oh, just use last year¡¦s exam. What¡¦s wrong with that?¡¨  
  
His seat number was 42, which was luckily near the darkest corner of the room and far away from his former friends. //Lucky.// He stifled a yawn and the urge to laugh at the anxious faces of the foreign Nins. //Some people look nervous.// he sing-songed in his head.   
  
//Naruto. You know the plan, right?//  
  
He jumped slightly. //Damn. Kai, I told you to stop doing that.// he mentally scolded. //It¡¦s like I have schizo or something.//  
  
//As long as I¡¦m around, you do. You know what we¡¦re going to do? Akito¡¦s already got it.//  
  
//I know the plan. I¡¦m not stupid anymore.//  
  
//So you were stupid before?//  
  
//Shut up.//  
  
//Hmm. They¡¦re watching you.//  
  
//You don¡¦t have to tell me that.//  
  
//... all those eyes// she pressed, //... boring a hole into your head...//  
  
//You got one twisted sense of humor.// When he received no response, he sighed. She didn¡¦t have to go and remind him. He could feel their eyes on him.   
  
Just then, Ibiki seemed to have finished his lecture on the rules and a Chuunin was passing out the papers. When he received his paper, he glanced at it and grinned.   
  
//Ready?//  
  
//Ready.//  
  
==============================  
  
Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Lee, Ten-Ten, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, were indeed keeping a close eye on the recently returned Naruto. Some were watching him because they were not prepared for his return. Others were, because they had witnessed his power before, and they wanted to see how he would cheat this time around.   
  
But he did nothing that seemed the slightest bit relevant. As a matter of fact, he turned the test paper over, folded his arms on the table, and went to sleep.   
  
//That¡¦s his way of cheating?// Sasuke thought as he activated his Sharingan. //Unless of course he¡¦s counting on the last question again. But this time, there is no last question.// he realized, scanning his test paper. //What are you doing?//  
  
After a good 35 minutes of sleep, Naruto suddenly snapped up, and instantly, all 12 pairs of eyes were on him. Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata could see his teammate, the girl, glaring at him. He stretched, rubbed his head while turned his paper over, wrote all the answers down quickly, turned it over, folded his arms, and went back to sleep.   
  
//What... method of cheating is that?//  
  
Personally, Ino wondered if perhaps someone had used Shintenshi No Jutsu. But when she looked at his two teammates, they were still awake, and did not show the aftereffects of the Shintenshi.   
  
So how did they cheat?  
  
Hinata was probably the only one who noticed... but his female teammate stopped glaring at him.   
  
==============================  
  
¡§This is the end of your test.¡¨ Came the sudden booming voice that jolted the boy out of his slumber. ¡§There is one more question left.¡¨ He continued, ignoring the onslaught of moans and groans from the remaining Genins. ¡§You must choose now. If you decide to take it, then...¡¨  
  
He mentally groaned. //No... not this again.//  
  
//Hey, Kai.// he thought.  
  
//What.//  
  
//Tell Akito that---//  
  
//Already did.//  
  
//Now see, you have got to stop reading people¡¦s minds like that. It¡¦s freaky.//  
  
//I¡¦ll keep that in mind.// He sighed as the Genins who could not take the strain backed out one by one. //Ibiki got better.// He grimaced. //I already know what the final question is, and I can still feel that strain. If any other Genins make it past this point, they deserve to be Chuunin.//   
  
And soon, only 20 teams of the original 46 remained. In fact, Naruto almost expected Anko to burst through the door at any moment.  
  
And the door did swing open at that very moment. However, the Examiner was not Anko.   
  
It was...  
  
============================================================  
  
Funny thing: If you use MS Word, and look up Morino Ibiki on spell-check, it¡¦ll say Moron Ibis. ^^  
  
Questions or comments: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com  
  
-Yume 


	3. The Second Exam

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Chapter 03: The Second Exam  
  
==============================   
  
It was Shizune.  
  
¡§Alright, everyone follow me to the next exam.¡¨ She called to the 20 teams that remained.   
  
They followed her to the Akagahara, the Forest of Death, and she went on to explain the rules, just like Anko did last year.   
  
//The Hokage-sama...//he thought weakly, //...has no imagination. None. At all.//  
  
¡§Not this again.¡¨ he muttered as a male Chuunin went around, passing the same forms as last year while Shizune went on about how ¡§The forms are to protect the Hidden Leaf from your potential death. You sign this, you¡¦re signing your death certificate.¡¨ She finally finished up with, ¡§We will be behind the screen over there when you¡¦re done. Remember, you need a set of both Heaven and Earth scrolls in order to pass.¡¨  
  
As she turned towards the back table, she caught sight of Naruto and gave him a quick smile, which he also grinned back.   
  
¡§So how are we going to do this, Naruto-niisan?¡¨ came the voice that snapped him out of his thought. ¡§Do you wanna get the job done, or do you want to play around with them?¡¨  
  
¡§Well...¡¨ he said, facing Akito. ¡§I¡¦ve always wondered what the people who pass the earliest do once they get to the tower. Besides,¡¨ he said, snickering, ¡§I¡¦m all for setting a new record from here to the tower,¡¨ a comment that made both of his relatives smirk. ¡§What do you say to making it to the tower in under an hour?¡¨ he asked.   
  
¡§Done.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Hey, Forehead Girl.¡¨ Ino whispered to her former best friend/rival to her now best friend/rival/teammate, ¡§Do you think they¡¦re something up with Naruto?¡¨  
  
¡§Hai.¡¨ Sakura whispered back, casting a look at him. ¡§He¡¦s too relaxed. Last year, he was all over the place, and now he¡¦s sitting on a rock and laughing.¡¨  
  
¡§Yea. And his team, there¡¦s something wrong with it. Aren¡¦t they a little young?¡¨  
  
¡§No.¡¨ Sakura responded. ¡§Kakashi-sensei became a Chuunin when he was 6 or something.¡¨  
  
¡§Oh. Well, I still think it¡¦s weird.¡¨  
  
¡§You think everything¡¦s weird, Ino Pig-Chan.¡¨  
  
¡§Forehead.¡¨  
  
¡§Pig¡¨  
  
¡§FOREHEAD.¡¨  
  
¡§PIG.¡¨  
  
¡§Both of you shut up.¡¨  
  
They turned and looked at the source of the voice, their ¡¥beloved¡¦ Sasuke-kun. He was holding up a white scroll. ¡§We got a Ten [heaven] Scroll.¡¨ He said. ¡§Just like last time.¡¨ He looked at Naruto¡¦s team. ¡§I wonder what scroll they got.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§We got a Ten scroll.¡¨ Naruto said, walking back to his comrades. ¡§And we¡¦re Gate 12.¡¨  
  
¡§Gate 12...¡¨ Kai said. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrated, then opened them. ¡§If we can go a straight path, intercept THAT teams¡¦ scroll.¡¨ She said nodding at a team from the Hidden Grass. ¡§They have a De (Earth) scroll and they¡¦re at Gate 14. If you do it right, we can make it to the tower in about 30 minutes.¡¨  
  
¡§Works for me.¡¨ He said.  
  
¡§Hey! You guys coming?¡¨ Akito shouted. ¡§We¡¦re going to our gates already you slowpokes.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§The Second Exam will begin in Five, Four, Three, Two, GO.¡¨ The gates opened. And seconds later, the spots the 20 teams occupied were empty.   
  
¡§How should we take it?¡¨ asked Akito. ¡§Do y¡¦all want to face them head on? Or do you want to steal it.¡¨  
  
¡§The second one.¡¨ Naruto replied, jumping quickly to avoid a head on collusion from a tree branch. He smiled evilly. ¡§I really want to see the looks on their faces when they reach for it, and it¡¦s not there.¡¨  
  
¡§There they are.¡¨ Kai said, spotting the trio from the Grass. ¡§You guys go ahead. I¡¦ll get it.¡¨ The others nodded, and dashed off in the direction towards the tower.  
  
Acting quickly as she could, Kai jumped from the branch, onto the forest floor, ran up to the Grass Nins, plucked the scroll from its' pouch, and bounced back up towards the trees, her feet never stopping, resuming her course towards the tower.   
  
When she got there 20 minutes later, the other two were already waiting for her.   
  
¡§How¡¦d it go?¡¨ Naruto asked.  
  
She held up the De scroll. ¡§I don¡¦t even think they notice it¡¦s missing.¡¨ She said, with just enough smugness to hint that she was quite pleased with herself.   
  
==============================   
  
¡§Shizune-san, you have to see this.¡¨ A Chuunin said, bursting into the Examiner¡¦s Office. ¡§Last year¡¦s record was amazing, but this year¡¦s record is unreal.¡¨  
  
¡§What do you mean?¡¨ Shizune asked, looking up from her paperwork.   
  
¡§The team from the Hidden Air just passed the test. In 30 MINUTES.¡¨ He said, inserting the videotape of the three. ¡§And not only that, but they are by far the youngest people to take the test in this time around, and the youngest people to take the test for 10 years!¡¨  
  
¡§What?¡¨ Shizune looked at the video.   
  
¡§It¡¦s just like last year, when the kids from the Hidden Sand Village passed.¡¨ The Chuunin continued. ¡§But this time in 30 minutes and they look like they just came back from a walk in the park.¡¨  
  
Shizune studied the three. ¡§Uzumaki Naruto.¡¨ She said.   
  
¡§What?¡¨  
  
¡§No wonder. Uzumaki Naruto is on this team. That¡¦s why they passed so quickly.¡¨  
  
¡§Uzumaki Naruto?¡¨ he asked. ¡§Isn¡¦t he the one who filed for Sennin and left last year with Jiraiya-sama?¡¨  
  
¡§The one and only.¡¨  
  
¡§Oh. But his hitaite [forehead protector]...¡¨ he said. ¡§It¡¦s the symbol of the Hidden Air village, not Hidden Leaf.¡¨  
  
¡§We know.¡¨  
  
¡§Why did he leave then?¡¨  
  
¡§That information is classified.¡¨  
  
¡§I see.¡¨  
  
¡§But.¡¨ Shizune continued. ¡§He was an amazing fighter when he was 13, before he left the village. And now, he could only have improved.¡¨ Then, more to herself, ¡§It will be an interesting exam this year.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Now what do we do?¡¨ Akito asked. ¡§It¡¦s an empty room.¡¨  
  
¡§Now we open both Ten and De scrolls at the same time.¡¨ Naruto said. ¡§Let¡¦s see...¡¨  
  
He opened both of the scrolls, and just like last time, smoke filled the room. When it cleared, Naruto half expected to see Iruka, just like last time. However, he wasn¡¦t that lucky. There stood Tsunade.  
  
¡§Wow.¡¨ Naruto said jokingly. ¡§I feel special.¡¨  
  
¡§The Hokage¡¦s the one who greets the first people who passed.¡¨ Tsunade said. ¡§But I never expected you to pass in just 30 minutes.¡¨ She added in an undertone, ¡§I was just eating lunch too...¡¨  
  
¡§YES!¡¨ Akito shouted happily. ¡§WE MADE IT JUST THIRTY MINUTES! WHOHOO!!¡¨ He began dancing around the room happily like a hyperactive fuse.   
  
//He acts just like Naruto.//.  
  
¡§Anyway, this time, since you made it before the limit was up, you get to go the left side of the stairs instead of directly going to the fighting hall.¡¨  
  
¡§What¡¦s in the left side?¡¨  
  
Tsunade grinned. ¡§You¡¦ll see. I have to go, but I¡¦ll be back to judge in 5 days. Later.¡¨ Then she disappeared in a puff of smoke.   
  
==============================   
  
¡§Oh DANG!¡¨ Naruto said, looking around the ¡¥Left Side¡¦. ¡§They really... they... now I really wish we made it in early last year.¡¨  
  
The Left Side was more or less like a hotel completed with a living room, a training hall, a room to sleep in, and a restroom. The furnishings were by no means luxurious, but there was enough food in the refrigerator to sustain them for at least 2 weeks.   
  
¡§Why weren¡¦t you here last year, Naruto-niisan?¡¨ asked a suddenly interested Akito. ¡§Did you actually take all five days to get here?¡¨ When Naruto didn¡¦t respond, he continued his badgering. ¡§Well? Did you? You did? Oh dang, Niisan! You suck!¡¨  
  
¡§Shut up.¡¨   
  
¡§Make me¡¨  
  
¡§I¡¦ll make both of you permanently mute if you don¡¦t BOTH be quiet.¡¨ Kai snarled.  
  
And they both shut it, knowing fully well that she was capable of her threat.   
  
¡§Good. Now let¡¦s go eat, I¡¦m starving.¡¨   
  
=====================================================================   
  
Re-editing is hard work when the original was so messed up! @.@  
  
Questions, comments: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	4. Prelude

==============================   
  
Chapter 04 : Prelude  
  
==============================   
  
¡§I bet we¡¦re the first ones here,¡¨ Kiba bragged happily to Hinata and Shino as they entered the Left side. ¡§There¡¦s no way that anyone else¡¦s made it this fast.¡¨  
  
¡§It¡¦s been a day already. I¡¦m sure there has to be some other team who¡¦s made it first.¡¨ Shino said from behind him to his right.   
  
¡§Oh come one, you spoilsport.¡¨ Kiba said, turning around, walking backwards. ¡§There¡¦s at most, ONE team who made it before us.¡¨  
  
¡§Ano... Kiba-kun.¡¨ Hinata objected softly. ¡§You¡¦d be wrong about that.¡¨  
  
¡§Huh?¡¨ He turned around. The team from the Sand was already residing in a Bedroom, Naruto and the young boy with black hair were watching TV in the Living Room, and the girl, whatever her name was, was doing something in the Training Room.   
  
¡§You were saying something about being first, Kiba?¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
After a full 5 days of wait, all the Genin teams who made it through the Second Exam where gathered in the Fighting Hall. Only 8 of the 20 teams made it to the 3rd exam Preliminaries. Shizune had fulfilled what Anko promised to do the year before.   
  
The first team was, of course, Naruto¡¦s team, the team from the Hidden Air. The next team who made it was Gaara¡¦s team. Then, Kiba¡¦s team, then Neji¡¦s team, Sasuke¡¦s Team, a team from Hidden Mist, a team from Hidden Rain, and surprisingly, the team from Hidden Grass that Kai stole the scroll from.   
  
¡§Since so many people made it to the 3rd Exam,¡¨ Tsunade said to the 8 groups, ¡§We will have a Preliminary Round, to eliminate half the people from the Exam. Your instructor this year is---¡¨   
  
¡§Me.¡¨   
  
A man with blonde hair and a forehead protector tied on backwards stepped up. ¡§I¡¦ll be your examiner this year.¡¨ He said through a straw tucked in his mouth. ¡§My name is Gemma.¡¨  
  
¡§You¡¦re the guy from last year!¡¨ exclaimed an overexcited Ino.   
  
He rolled his eyes ever so slightly. ¡§Yes, I judged the second part of the Third Exam last year. This year, I will instruct both preliminaries, and the main tournament. First of all, for anyone who does not want to fight either from exhaustion or personal reasons, now is the time to leave.¡¨ He waited, and when no one showed any indication of exiting, he continued. ¡§In that case, we will begin immediately. For everyone who was not here last year, the matches are completely random, and the only rule is to defeat your opponent by any means available. You may forfeit anytime before or during the fight. From here on out, it¡¦s an individual fight, so you may move on even if your team fails. Any questions?¡¨  
  
When none came, he said, ¡§So will everyone proceed upstairs, and we will begin the 3rd Exam preliminaries shortly.¡¨  
  
  
  
==============================   
  
Naruto got a strange sense of deja vu as he looked around at all the teams. Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and the foreign teams were on one side, while everyone else was on another side.   
  
¡§This is like, the 16th thing that both my exams had in common.¡¨ Naruto said. He leaned on the bars. ¡§Do you think that there really is some kind of deity up there, and he¡¦s somehow influencing everything so it¡¦s happening exactly in the same sequence as it happened last year?¡¨  
  
¡§Maybe.¡¨  
  
¡§Hnn.¡¨  
  
¡§NARUTO!¡¨  
  
The said Naruto rotated his head and looked into the very EXPTREMELY angry eyes of an infuriated Haruno Sakura.  
  
¡§Ohayo, Sakura-chan.¡¨  
  
She opened her mouth, then closed it. She had been planning what to say to him during the entire trip through the Forest of Death, but now, face to face with him, she couldn¡¦t say it. Luckily, Sasuke came to her rescue.  
  
¡§Where have you been the last year, you Dobe?¡¨ Sasuke asked in a controlled manner, but had just enough rage in his voice for Naruto to be able to tell that he was ridiculously angry. ¡§You leave without a word, then just come back suddenly with replacements?¡¨  
  
¡§Hai.¡¨ He replied, completely ignoring the Dobe comment.  
  
His nonchalant attitude seemed to only fuel the Uchiha boy¡¦s anger, and he would have sorely loved to deliver a punch to the blonde-haired person¡¦s jaw just about now, but he managed to control his anger. Barely.  
  
¡§Ohayo, Naruto-kun.¡¨  
  
¡§Huh?¡¨ He looked at the speakers. ¡§Oy, Lee, Neji, Hinata, Kiba.¡¨ The four of them had wandered over along with the rest of their team. Suddenly, Naruto smacked his head.   
  
¡§Oh yea, everyone, this is---¡¨  
  
¡§So you are back, Naruto.¡¨  
  
¡§Kakashi-san, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san.¡¨  
  
The Genins visible flinched slightly. //Kakashi-san?// Ino thought, heart sinking. //H e no longer acknowledges Kakashi-sensei as his teacher?//  
  
¡§Everyone, this is Kurakai, or Kai.¡¨ He said, ¡§Call her Kurekai, and she will give you a beating you will never forget, and damage whatever ego you may have brutally.¡¨  
  
¡§Naruto-niisan has personal experience.¡¨ Came a voice that startlingly resembled Naruto¡¦s.   
  
¡§And THIS.¡¨ He went on, ¡§Is Akito, twin of Kai, and twenty times as annoying.¡¨  
  
¡§FOURTY TIMES as annoying.¡¨ Akito growled.  
  
¡§Eighty.¡¨  
  
¡§ONE SIXTY.¡¨  
  
And the two of them went on like that, arguing the younger one¡¦s annoyance level, ignoring the fact that they were arguing the exact same thing. While the two of them were arguing, the others took this opportunity to observe the two children.   
  
At first glance, you would exclaim that they looked nothing like Naruto. He had blond hair and slightly tanned skin, while they had black hair and pale skin. Most of them thought that the pair looked more like Sasuke than Naruto, but when they got closer, they began noticing similarities here and there.   
  
The big one, were their eyes. The two pairs of eyes and Naruto¡¦s on visible eye were the exact same shade of blue, not the fake kind of blue, or the type of blue that changes with age or emotion, but a clear electric blue. It was the kind of blue that would never fade, and could only be obtained through genetics.  
  
¡§So, anyway,¡¨ Naruto continued, after he and Akito had settled his annoyance level on 2048, ¡§They¡¦re my teammates.¡¨  
  
¡§Wait,¡¨ Neji said, ¡§What village are you from? I¡¦ve never seen these headbands before.¡¨   
  
The headbands were on black cloth, and the symbols looked like two wings, one pointing up, and one pointing down, with a swirl in the middle.   
  
¡§Our village?¡¨ he said, ¡§Well we¡¦re---¡¨  
  
¡§We¡¦re from the Village Hidden in the Air.¡¨ Kai interrupted.  
  
¡§Hai.¡¨  
  
//Hidden Air Village?// Ten-Ten thought. //I¡¦ve never heard of such a village.// Judging from the faces of Neji and Lee, they had never heard of it either. She made a mental note to ask Gai-sensei about it later, but suddenly, a huge stone curtain shifted up slowly from it¡¦s original position, right above the Hand Seal statue.   
  
¡§Will everyone please direct their attention to the screen.¡¨ Gemma said. ¡§The first match of the Preliminaries will begin shortly.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
While everyone¡¦s eyes were glued to the screen, Kurenai spun and glanced at Kakashi.   
  
¡§Kurakai.¡¨ She said in a low tone, ¡§is she...¡¨  
  
¡§Yes, she is the same.¡¨  
  
¡§Wow.¡¨ She cast a quick look towards the young girl, who was sitting on the bars and staring at the screen intently. ¡§To think that a Jounin would participate in a Chuunin Selection Exam. Why?¡¨  
  
¡§Hokage-sama does not know yet. But when she does, she will let us know. Besides,¡¨ he added, ¡§She came with Naruto, and I trust him. He would not forsake his home.¡¨  
  
¡§I guess not,¡¨ Kurenai said, turning her attention back towards the screen.  
  
But if she had kept her gaze on Kai just a second longer, she would have seen the girl¡¦s childlike face form a small smile as the names stopped flashing.   
  
¡§The first match,¡¨ Gemma said, ¡§Will be between Rock Lee and Sogoiri.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
A/N: This chapter¡¦s revision was easy. I actually had fun doing it. O.o  
  
Q/C: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com  
  
-Yume 


	5. The First Matches

==============================  
  
Chapter 05 : The First Matches  
  
==============================   
  
¡§YES!!!¡¨   
  
A boy with a bowl hair cut, dressed in green tights, and dancing around in happiness and glee with his adult counterpart might have been a strange sight for most people. Then boy probably would have been taken away to be with nice people in white suits for the rest of his life, but luckily, this wasn¡¦t the case.   
  
¡§I¡¦m FIRST! I¡¦m FIRST! FIRST! FIRST! FIRST!!!¡¨ he shouted happily.   
  
¡§The fruits of your labor finally paid off, Lee.¡¨ The older one said, with dramatic tears running down from his even more dramatic lower lashes.   
  
¡§Sensei!¡¨ Lee cried, echoing Gai-sensei¡¦s sentiments. They dashed into each other¡¦s arms, ignoring the faces around them, who all looked on the verge of tears. Tears of laughter.   
  
¡§Go! LEE!¡¨ Gai said, thumbs up.  
  
¡§Yes, Sensei!!¡¨ He jumped quickly from the top floor down to the ground area.   
  
¡§About time,¡¨ said the hoarse voiced Grass Nin with long green hair and odd green skin. ¡§I was beginning to think you wouldn¡¦t come.¡¨ He cast a disdainful look at the younger boy. ¡§Brat.¡¨  
  
¡§I never run away from a challenge.¡¨ Lee responded with determination like never before.   
  
¡§Are you two done?¡¨ Gemma asked. ¡§Yes? Good. Start whenever you¡¦re ready.¡¨ He stepped backwards mumbling something about ¡§Why did I ever agree to judge this...¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
The match itself was short and sweet.  
  
Lee had recovered nicely from his operation, and was back to his old rigorous training schedule. He seemed even more powerful than before, even with the weights. After a few well-placed kicks and punches, Sogoiri was as good as defeated.   
  
He was moving so fast, the older and self-presumed, smarter and faster, man couldn¡¦t even see where he was, and couldn¡¦t use any of his techniques for fear of wasting chakra. In truth, he had never dealt with someone who used only Taijutsus, and now he was suffering the consequences.   
  
Finally, after taking a direct hit from Lee¡¦s Spinning-Leaf attack, he was finished. Sogoiri was now laying on the ground, bleeding excessively, and foaming at the mouth, and his condition caused by a boy half his age, and had called a brat just moments before.   
  
==============================   
  
¡§Sad.¡¨   
  
Akito smirked as the Medical Team carried a beaten Sogoiri away. ¡§That¡¦s what happens when you discriminate someone for their age, eh, Naruto-niisan?¡¨ He leaned forward on his arms to take a good looked at the victor. ¡§Hey wait, isn¡¦t he the boy that you told us about? The one who was recovering from his fight with the sand guy...¡¨  
  
¡§Lee?¡¨  
  
¡§Yeah.¡¨  
  
¡§Yes. That is Lee.¡¨  
  
¡§Wow! He doesn¡¦t look like he¡¦s healed from a major battle!¡¨ The boy exclaimed, swinging his legs against the rail  
  
¡§Well, he did.¡¨  
  
¡§Awesome! IN YOUR FACE YOU BIAS GRASS NIN!¡¨ he yelled as the Doctors carted out a half-dead Sogoiri.  
  
¡§Shut up.¡¨ Came Kai¡¦s irritable voice. ¡§They¡¦re choosing the next match.¡¨  
  
The voices died down as the names appeared.   
  
¡§Ibino and Aburame Shino.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
Almost immediately after Gemma had permitted them to start, Ibino, a Mist Nin, had created a large fog. Though it was not as thick as the one Zabuza had created 2 years ago, it was still quite good for a Genin.   
  
¡§Kakashi-sensei,¡¨ Sakura said, attempting to look through the haze, though all she could see were occasional flashes of light, ¡§How did he create a mist with no water?¡¨  
  
¡§There is water here.¡¨ He replied. ¡§In the ceilings, on the floor, and even body sweat can be used for mists such as these.¡¨  
  
Ibino was also apparently, a man of few words, and had immediately begun his attack on his opponent. It seemed obvious that he was also a master of energy blasts. The flares of light Sakura had seen was his chakra, the form it took to best do damage to Shino. But suddenly, as quickly as it had appeared, the mist suddenly began to clear.   
  
¡§What the...¡¨   
  
¡§I sent my bugs out to absorb and drain your chakra.¡¨ Shino said indifferently. ¡§Now that your mist is gone, you can either risk attacking without chakra, or I will have my little friends drain the rest of it.¡¨  
  
//Shit.// Ibino thought. //This is bad.// If he attacked with chakra, then these bugs on his arms would continue eating away at his energy, and if he attacked without chakra, what¡¦s to stop these little pests from draining his arms anyhow? The only solution would be to try to rid his body of these insects. //But how?// As soon as he releases chakra from his pores, the bugs would consume it as quickly as it comes.   
  
In the end, he decided to try and create another mist, but when he attempted to do that, the bugs ate so much chakra, they began to sink into his skin in desperation to get more.   
  
The scream of one in such pain was not pleasant to hear. Moments later, Aburame Shino was declared the winner. He calmly went about his way as the Medical Team went to carry off yet another defeated shinobi. There was the temporary pause in the drawing of the Third Match, for the cleaners had to mop up all the blood from the previous battle.   
  
¡§The Aburame Clan specializes in bugs that feed their body.¡¨ Naruto explained, seeing Akito¡¦s face. ¡§In exchange for shelter, they help the people in battle.¡¨  
  
¡§I know that.¡¨ Akito muttered. ¡§What I want to know, is how many bugs does he keep in his body, and how did he get them all out? He doesn¡¦t have a single cut on his body.¡¨  
  
Naruto blinked. He looked over at Shino. It was true, he didn¡¦t have any cuts, bruises, or visible openings anywhere. ¡§I never really thought about that.¡¨ He said thoughtfully, thinking of all possible places that bugs could have come out of, but quickly stopped. ¡§I don¡¦t want to think about it.¡¨   
  
A familiar sound started up again, the sound of the randomizer working once again. This time the match ups were...  
  
¡§Uzumaki Akito VS Ten-Ten¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§YES! YES! YES!¡¨ Akito yelled out delightedly. ¡§I¡¦M NEXT, I¡¦M NEXT, I¡¦M NEXT!!!¡¨ He stopped. ¡§Waitasecond... who¡¦s Ten-Ten.¡¨  
  
¡§If you were paying any attention, you¡¦d notice that she¡¦s already down there, and waiting for you.¡¨  
  
¡§Huh? Yea, whatever, sistah.¡¨ He said nonchalantly. ¡§I gotta--- wait. She?¡¨ He looked down towards his opponent, a girl with two buns on the either side of her head. ¡§SHE?¡¨ he howled, any cheer present was gone, ¡§WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A SHE?!¡¨  
  
¡§Whaddya mean?¡¨ Naruto asked.   
  
¡§I can¡¦t hit a girl!¡¨ he said desperately, pleadingly to Naruto.  
  
¡§She¡¦s older than you.¡¨  
  
¡§So? Aw, MAN!¡¨ he said dejectedly. ¡§And I was feeling so happy about---¡¨  
  
¡§Just get down there!¡¨   
  
And with a little help from his Dearest Sister, he was picked up by the collar and thrown off the second story, onto the floor. But somehow, to the surprise of most the people there, despite the silliness he displayed seconds before, when he landed, he landed on both feet in a crouched position.   
  
¡§Gomen nasai.¡¨ He said, standing up. His attitude had changed completely from before, and his eyes now glinted of certainty. ¡§Let us begin.¡¨  
  
=====================================================================   
  
A/N: uh.. vote? :-D  
  
-Yume 


	6. Akito VS TenTen

==============================   
  
Chapter 06 : Akito VS Ten-Ten   
  
==============================   
  
When the two names first flashed up on the board, she had to admit, she was a little more than disappointed. Personally, she wasn¡¦t keen on fighting a ten-year-old boy whose behavior was close to Naruto¡¦s when he was younger. But when he managed to land on both feet after being thrown off the platform 10 feet above, she had to admit, she was a little impressed.   
  
//It doesn¡¦t matter, though.// she thought confidently. //I¡¦ll still win.//   
  
It wasn¡¦t enough to just simply hit her target anymore. Aim had never been a problem for her, the problem lied in the power, force of her weapons. Since then, she had learned that if she placed a small amount of chakra at the tip of her kunai, or shuriken, the force of it could rip small holes into trees.   
  
//I don¡¦t care if he¡¦s Naruto-kun¡¦s teammate or not. He is not going to be able to defeat me.//  
  
Meanwhile, the boy had finally strolled over from the spot where he landed, and was standing straight across from her. His gaze stared straight into hers. Suddenly, he was no longer a brainless idiot, but an opponent. A shinobi.   
  
¡§Ready? Match, Start. ¡¨   
  
Immediately, one of them revealed her weapon, while the other formed odd seals with his hand. Ten-Ten hurled her kunai at him, but in spite of all her practicing, she missed. Mainly because her opponent had simply vanished, and the piece of metal flew right through him.   
  
//What?//   
  
She circled around to see him sitting on the Hand Seal statue in cross-legged position.   
  
¡§Is that all?¡¨  
  
Immediately, she flung another shuriken at him, missing again, but coming very close.   
  
//Kuso...// she swore. All that practice for nothing. He was dodging everything she was throwing at him with undeniable grace and agility. //I need to think of something else.// She stopped charging the Kunais with chakra, after all, it would be useless to miss again and waste precious energy.   
  
==============================   
  
At the time Ten-Ten was formulating another plan, the other boy was sitting against the wall, watching her continuously throw useless miniature weapons at his Copy.   
  
//It¡¦s like watching a good show.// he chuckled. Right after the match had started, he had created a Chi Bunshin, his specialty, and cast an Invisibility Jutsu on himself. Now he was watching her just as a spectator would. In the sidelines and away from the actual action.   
  
//It¡¦s hopeless.// he thought. //Her aim is good, but the speed is horrible. Well... maybe not horrible. It¡¦s just not fast enough to catch up with Fake Me.//  
  
//Can¡¦t she see, that no matter what, she can¡¦t hit me?// he mused. //I wonder what she¡¦ll do next.//  
  
==============================   
  
It was impossible. The speed of him, the speed of it, it was incredible.   
  
¡§This is unreal.¡¨ She murmured to herself, gritting her teeth. //He either has unbelievable Chakra stamina in creating clones, or this is his real thing. Maybe he was like Lee, and only practiced Taijutsu.// If that was the case, then it would be easy. Just wait for him to tire out. But what if it was an illusion?  
  
//If it was an illusion, then what I have to do, is wait for him to run out of chakra, then the illusion will disappear, and he will reappear, and then I¡¦ll be able to attack.// But then came another problem. What if it wasn¡¦t an illusion? Then he could attack her when she least expects it, when her guard was down.   
  
//What am I going to do?//  
  
==============================   
  
Meanwhile, up above, Kakashi and Gai¡¦s teams were watching the match below apprehensively.   
  
¡§Gai-sensei.¡¨ Lee said anxiously, ¡§Is that thing running around the area a Bunshin, or is it him?¡¨  
  
  
  
¡§It¡¦s a Bunshin.¡¨ Gai said, almost equally concerned, ¡§But none I¡¦ve ever seen before. Neji, could you take a look?¡¨  
  
Neji nodded, and activated his Byakugon. He took a sudden breath.   
  
¡§What? What is it?¡¨ Sakura asked.   
  
¡§That boy.¡¨ He said, ¡§It¡¦s a Bunshin, but I¡¦ve never seen anything like it.¡¨  
  
¡§What do you mean?¡¨ Lee asked impatiently.   
  
¡§Well, it¡¦s not really a clone at all. It seems like he¡¦s molded the air in his image.¡¨ Neji said. ¡§And the real thing... he¡¦s sitting in the corner watching it all happen.¡¨  
  
¡§What?!¡¨ Lee exclaimed. At once, he turned his head and would have shouted Ten-Ten a warning, if Neji¡¦s hand hadn¡¦t clamped over his mouth that instant.   
  
¡§Shut up!¡¨ he hissed. ¡§If you call out to her, she¡¦ll be disqualified.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
Akito watched, amusedly as his opponent darted her head from one side to another, trying to decide whether to attack or not. He glanced upward.   
  
¡§Well now, looks like I¡¦ve been found out.¡¨ He murmured. ¡§Hyuga Neji of the Hyuga family of Konoha. Hmm.¡¨ He looked back at Ten-Ten, who looked ready to attack. ¡§Let¡¦s see what she does.¡¨   
  
==============================   
  
¡§What did he do now?¡¨ Lee asked as he saw Neji¡¦s face twist into an angry expression.   
  
¡§He waved to me.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
She lined up her two scrolls and summoned all her weapons, just like before. Then, using her Chakra strings, she forced them, one after another with speed enough to rival his, to fly at him.   
  
One after another, never stopping, never pausing, Kunais, swords, shurikens, large shurikens, katanas, chains, scythes, all sorts of weapons bombarded and immobilized him. Then, one by one, she directed them so they would pierce his arms and legs, anything to stop him from being able to move at all.   
  
And it worked. He was speared against a wall, and was stationary.  
  
But then... he disappeared. Just like he had, ten minutes earlier.   
  
==============================   
  
When all those weapons were summoned, Akito knew, with great dread, that he¡¦d have to actually get up and move. Fortunately, his clone was far away from him. Unfortunately, when the weapons were summoned, they were all over the place, and some of them fell in his path with so much force, he had to quickly focus Chakra in his feet and run sideways along the wall to a safer location.   
  
¡§Well now.¡¨ He said softly with mock indignation. ¡§That wasn¡¦t very nice.¡¨   
  
He turned and looked at his Air Clone, wincing a bit. ¡§That¡¦s GOTTA hurt.¡¨   
  
He waved his hand, and the air clone dissipated into air. The look on her face was priceless. True, it was mean of him to lead her on like that throughout the whole thing, but it still was a bit funny to see her realize that she just wasted all her chakra on a clone.   
  
He reappeared right in front of her. ¡§Gomen nasai... Ten-Ten-san.¡¨ He said. He then reached out and pressed his palm against her forehead. Her eyes glazed over, and she fell to the floor.   
  
Gemma walked over. ¡§Ten-Ten is unable to battle. Shou-sha, [winner] Uzumaki Akito.¡¨  
  
======================================================================   
  
AN: I said this once, I¡¦ll say it again. I¡¦m not good with battles. I¡¦m really horrible at them. But please, live with it!  
  
This may seem like a story with no plot, but it¡¦ll get better. Promise!!!  
  
  
  
Q/C/Anything relevant: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	7. Effortless Victories

==============================   
  
Chapter 07 : Effortless Victories  
  
==============================   
  
As soon as he was declared the winner, Akito¡¦s ice-cold-warrior facade vanished. His eyes lost their rigid look, his posture relaxed, and that inane grin was back in his features like it had never left.   
  
¡§WHOO!!! YEA BABY!¡¨ he shouted happily, dancing his way up the stairs to his companions. ¡§I WON! Whatcha gotta say bout DAT sistah?¡¨ he asked smugly, with a pssht-talk-to-the-hand gesture. ¡§Looks like I made it past the first round after all. How bout THAT Nee-chan? How about THAT? HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡¨   
  
¡§I say your opponent was too weak. If you didn¡¦t win, I¡¦d feel very sad right about now.¡¨  
  
¡§Whatever.¡¨ He said, as if he hadn¡¦t heard her at all, ¡§I still won.¡¨  
  
¡§Uh-huh.¡¨   
  
¡§I DID.¡¨  
  
¡§Whatever.¡¨   
  
¡§Cynic.¡¨  
  
¡§Shut up.¡¨  
  
Naruto had to suppress a grin as he watched his cousins argue back and forth. Well, their version of an ¡¥argument¡¦. The two of them had always been like that. Akito always getting mad, Kai, never losing her cool. They acted like a younger version of him and Sasuke. Almost. Except in the case of these two, Kai would always win through the use of blackmail. And sure enough...  
  
¡§... If you don¡¦t shut up, I¡¦ll tell Otou-san that it was you who broke the TV screen with that bowling ball of yours.¡¨  
  
¡§You WOULDN¡¦T! Well, I¡¦ll tell Otou-san that... that...¡¨ He racked his mind, thinking of any bad thing that she ever did. //It¡¦s not my fault she¡¦s always away on missions, and she never does anything that qualifies as ¡¥bad¡¦.// he thought sulkily. But eventually, he had to respond the way he always had before.   
  
¡§Okay, I¡¦ll shut up.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§How is she?¡¨ Gai asked the medic as they inspected a knocked-out Ten-Ten.   
  
¡§She¡¦s fine, sir.¡¨ The Medic replied. ¡§She¡¦s exhausted her chakra and seems to be a little bruised up, but other than that, she¡¦s just sleeping.¡¨  
  
¡§She¡¦s just sleeping?¡¨  
  
¡§Yes. We don¡¦t even have to bring her in. When she wakes up, she¡¦d probably be a little sore, but besides that, she¡¦s alright.¡¨ Gai nodded his approval. He picked up the sleeping girl, and walked back up the stairs.   
  
¡§How is she?¡¨ Lee asked worriedly.   
  
¡§She¡¦s just sleeping.¡¨  
  
Lee took Ten-Ten from his teacher and set her down on the ground carefully. ¡§Is that so.¡¨  
  
¡§So he WAS only toying with her all this time.¡¨ Neji growled, glaring at the said boy, who was arguing playfully with his sister.   
  
¡§Yes.¡¨  
  
¡§But... how did he manage to keep his clone up at that speed for so long?¡¨ Lee asked, ¡§Shouldn¡¦t he already been worn out by the time---¡¨  
  
¡§Yes.¡¨ Gai said, casting a look at him. ¡§His stamina is impressive.¡¨ //Just like Naruto.//  
  
==============================   
  
The next match-up was between Gaara and Umi, a Rain Nin.   
  
Needless to say, Umi didn¡¦t stand a chance. Gaara had changed his fighting tactic slightly. He still had the gourd on his back, and the sand still protected him even without his command, but his Sand Armor was gone, and he started to actually move instead of just standing there, waiting for the sand to overwhelm his opponent.   
  
That, combined with his defense, was enough to decide the match right there. Umi, an older man in his twenties, had not Lee¡¦s speed, nor his power. After a few punches, he was beginning to get weary and frustrated by his lack of damage. His specialty, Genjutsus, didn¡¦t work on Gaara, and his chakra was almost gone by then.   
  
After deciding that the poor opponent had finally had enough, Gaara performed his signature move, the Desert Coffin. The sand on the floor snaked its way up the other¡¦s leg, and quick as a flash, had wrapped him up in its firm grip.   
  
¡§Surrender.¡¨ Gaara said, with no trace of humor in his voice. ¡§Or die.¡¨  
  
What could Umi do? He surrendered.  
  
¡§Winner, Gaara.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§That...¡¨ Akito said in awe, ¡§was just stupid.¡¨  
  
¡§Hnn?¡¨  
  
¡§The Rain guy was fighting a losing match. He should have just given up at the beginning.¡¨  
  
¡§Like you when you fight Kai?¡¨ Naruto asked.  
  
¡§Exactly.¡¨ The other responded. ¡§Huh? What, NO! That has nothing to do with our fights!¡¨  
  
¡§Yea. Sure.¡¨  
  
¡§I¡¦m serious!¡¨  
  
¡§Not funny, Naruto-niisan!!!¡¨  
  
¡§...¡¨  
  
¡§REALLY!¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
The next match was no more exciting than the previous one. Inuzaka Kiba versus Suzuka. After shooting his mouth off about how he was ¡¥fighting a girl¡¦, he sorely regretted ever saying that.   
  
In short, he lost. Bad.   
  
Suzuka was a Mist Nin, and clearly was, the leader of the trio from the only Mist team. When she produced a fog, just like Ibino before her, Kiba expected an easy victory. After all, he didn¡¦t need his eyes to see, all he needed was his nose. Then, the blows started coming.   
  
Inuzaka Kiba had not trained himself in endurance. He had only mastered the art of attacking, and was unable to take hit after hit of surprisingly strong punches coming from a girl.   
  
After a short while, and a final strike to his head, he lost the match in a humiliating loss. He had not damaged Suzuka in any way, and Akamaru, who had been pounded into the wall, had also been unable to help his master.   
  
==============================   
  
Immediately after Kiba had been carted out, another battle was called. Mubi and Kankurro. A Rain Nin and a Sand Nin. The winner?   
  
The Sand Nin.   
  
The match was so utterly disgraceful, the one remaining Rain Nin felt a sudden urging need to hide his face.   
  
Kankurro did not even use his marionette. Mubi had attempted to use Genjutsu, and it had failed. Then, after a punch that didn¡¦t even merit as strong from an annoyed puppeteer, Mubi had fainted.   
  
¡§Stupid.¡¨ Kankurro muttered, more than just a little bored. ¡§If I had to have an competitor,¡¨ he continued to himself as he walked up the stairs, ¡§Why couldn¡¦t I have a stronger one? Like Him.¡¨ He tossed a dark glance at Uzumaki Naruto.   
  
¡§Then again, if I had, then I probably would have lost.  
  
==============================   
  
Meanwhile, sometime between Kiba and Kankurro¡¦s matches, Naruto had struck up a conversation between the 5 former Genins, and the Lee Team. Akito had joined them soon afterwards, and yet Kai was still sitting alone, meditating on the thin railing, balancing herself perfectly. But even as they talked, the Leaf Nins dared not ask the questions that were on top of their minds.   
  
Where have you been all these years? Why did you come back? Who are these two people?   
  
And most of all... Why did you leave?  
  
Naruto seemed to sense the feeling of unease in the air.   
  
¡§I¡¦ll answer any questions you guys have,¡¨ he said, ¡§after the Preliminaries.¡¨ They started. His sudden sensitivity to all those around him was unexpected, and if possible, doubled the sinking feeling in their stomach, that the Naruto they knew and loved, was not coming back.   
  
==============================   
  
The screen started up again. But the next pairing... was unexpected by everyone.   
  
¡§Uzumaki Naruto VS Haruno Sakura¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
I am aware that this chapter is crap. But I couldn¡¦t take it anymore! I had to get all the ¡¥pointless¡¦ matches out of the way. .  
  
Questions/Comments: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	8. An Unexpected Conflict

==============================   
  
Chapter 08 : An Unexpected Conflict  
  
==============================   
  
Sakura gasped.   
  
Team 07 froze.  
  
All eyes were glued on the screen in shock. Yet the letters stood there, clear to all. Uzumaki Naruto VS Haruno Sakura.   
  
She slowly tore her eyes away from the screen to look at her opponent. His eyes were already on her, holding her firm in his gaze.   
  
¡§You don¡¦t have to fight, Sakura.¡¨ He said softly. ¡§You know that, right?¡¨  
  
¡§I know.¡¨ She replied. ¡§But I still want to.¡¨  
  
He sighed. ¡§It¡¦s your funeral.¡¨ He said, disappearing from her sight and reappearing in the arena.  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Wait, Sakura.¡¨ Ino called after her friend/rival, ¡§You don¡¦t have to do this.¡¨   
  
¡§I know.¡¨ Sakura said, never stopping her walk toward the stairs. ¡§I know.¡¨  
  
¡§Then why are you doing this?¡¨ she asked angrily. Then, lowering her voice, ¡§You can¡¦t win.¡¨  
  
¡§I know that too.¡¨ She said, finally pausing her steps. ¡§I just want to see if Naruto has really changed.¡¨  
  
¡§What do you mean?¡¨  
  
Sakura turned her head to look at her friend. ¡§If he hasn¡¦t really changed, he won¡¦t able to fight me.¡¨ She said simply. ¡§But if he wins... that means that he¡¦s moved on.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§This isn¡¦t possible!¡¨ Ino blurted out angrily. ¡§Members of the same team can¡¦t fight each other! Can they, Kakashi-sensei? Can they?¡¨  
  
¡§Well, actually, yes.¡¨ Kakashi said. ¡§Technically, Naruto and Sakura aren¡¦t even on the same team anymore so that¡¦s probably why they were sorted this way.¡¨  
  
¡§But...¡¨ Sasuke started, looking worriedly at the pair of fighters below. ¡§Naruto will...¡¨ //He¡¦s too strong.// Sasuke thought, keeping his glance on Naruto. //His chakra... I can feel it. It¡¦s way too powerful. If he was already capable of defeating me when he left, who knows how strong he is now. Besides// he grimaced, //If I don¡¦t stand a chance against him, how will Sakura be able to defeat him?//  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Start anytime you¡¦re ready.¡¨ Gemma said, backing up, but keeping a firm gaze on Naruto. Personally, he was perhaps, just a little eager to see Naruto¡¦s development from the loudmouth stereotype. //Whatever happens,// Gemma thought, //He¡¦s not going to be digging his way to victory.//  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Sakura.¡¨  
  
¡§Yes?¡¨  
  
Naruto seemed to be thinking something over, mentally debating something. Finally, he said:  
  
¡§I¡¦ll tell you what. If you can do some damage to me within a minute into this match, I¡¦ll forfeit. But if you cannot even touch me within the given time, expect an instant KO.¡¨  
  
Without responding, Sakura immediately retrieved her kunai from her holder and threw it at him as fast as she could. The kunai traveled over the short distance... and ripped right through his head.  
  
¡§What?¡¨ Sakura gasped as the now useless weapon dropped to the floor. Naruto had created a Bunshin, but it wasn¡¦t his signature Kage Bunshin. The head had dissolved into sand.   
  
¡§Sabaku Bunshin no Jutsu.¡¨ Came his voice to her left. ¡§Created from all the sand Gaara left behind.¡¨ His dim chuckle came from behind her, and suddenly, his voice came from the right. ¡§You¡¦re going to have to try harder than that, Sakura.¡¨  
  
//Come, now, Sakura.// he thought. //Show me what you have learned.//  
  
//He¡¦s throwing his voice.// Sakura thought, whirling around. Turns out, she was half right. There were three Narutos, all dressed in black with that red scarf. One was standing to her left, one on her right, and one was sitting on the index finger of the huge Hand Seal statue.  
  
//I didn¡¦t think I¡¦d have to use this so quickly.// Sakura thought, reaching back to her hip pouch. //But I have no choice.//   
  
She implanted the shurikens up with invisible chakra, then she threw all three of them at the Narutos. They dodged all of them with ease, but what they did not expect, was for the shurikens to suddenly turn around and charge straight at them again.   
  
¡§Chakra-seeking shurikens.¡¨ Sakura called out to the Narutos who were attempting to dodge the miniature weapons as they kamikaze-ed themselves at him. ¡§I learned it from Shizune-sama.¡¨ She continued, more to herself than him. ¡§Tsunade-sama was too busy being a Hokage to try and teach me anything.¡¨  
  
¡§That¡¦s good.¡¨ Naruto 1 said as he finally stopped moving and allowed himself to be sliced in half. It was a Kage Bunshin.  
  
¡§Extra tutoring can help a lot.¡¨ Naruto 2 said as the second shuriken injected itself deep in his stomach. It was a Sabaku Bunshin.   
  
//That¡¦s the one!// Sakura thought as the reached into her holder to retrieve another Kunai. With her on his front and the Shuriken on his back, there was no way he could not take damage. //Sorry, Naruto.//   
  
She threw the kunai.   
  
Naruto stopped...   
  
And both shuriken and kunai seemed to reach the destination at the same time, and the collision of the two with Naruto in the middle caused quite a big amount of smoke.   
  
//That should do it!// thought Sakura anxiously. //There¡¦s no way that he could have escaped that! It¡¦s not a Kage Bunshin, and it¡¦s not a Sabaku Bunshin. There¡¦s not enough sand around here to produce another clone. It HAS to be Naruto. It HAS to!// When the smoke cleared, and to Sakura¡¦s relief, there laid Naruto. ¡§Thank goodness.¡¨ She muttered. ¡§Looks like I win.¡¨  
  
But suddenly, Naruto dissolved into water.   
  
¡§What?¡¨ Sakura gasped, staring at the puddle that had taken his place.   
  
¡§Gomen ne, Sakura.¡¨ Naruto¡¦s voice came from behind her. His voice was soft and with just a bit of regret. ¡§But time¡¦s up.¡¨  
  
She felt a sudden jolt in her side, then she knew nothing.   
  
==============================   
  
¡§I see.¡¨ Kakashi said.   
  
¡§How did he create a Mizu Bunshin with no water around, sensei?¡¨ Ino asked, torn between staying up here, and going down to help Sakura.   
  
¡§There was water there.¡¨ Came Naruto¡¦s voice from behind them. They started, and he grinned. ¡§Ibino and Suzuka from the Mist Village have each created a mist, and if you condense the fog enough, it becomes water.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Naruto-kun.¡¨ Hinata said softly. ¡§Are you alright?¡¨  
  
This time, unlike last year, instead of shrugging her off with a simple ¡¥Uh-huh¡¦, he actually turned around and gave her a big smile, causing the usually pale child to blush deeply.   
  
¡§I¡¦m fine.¡¨ He said mildly. ¡§Thanks.¡¨  
  
¡§I¡¦m glad.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Kakashi-sensei.¡¨ Sasuke said, keeping his eyes on Naruto, who was conversing merrily with Neji, Lee, Hinata, and a just-awoken Ten-Ten.   
  
¡§What?¡¨  
  
¡§How strong is Naruto, really?¡¨   
  
Kakashi sighed. ¡§It¡¦s hard to say.¡¨ Was all he said, but inside, he was thinking that if he fought Naruto right now, he probably couldn¡¦t win.   
  
Ino listened to the brief conversation between the two, glanced at a slumbering Sakura, and couldn¡¦t help but think how long and hard Sakura had trained just to shorten that rift between her and the rest of the original Team 07. Now, Naruto comes along, and with one jab, completely lengthens it to its¡¦ original state. She glanced at the slumbering Sakura.   
  
¡§Gomen nasai... Sakura.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
AN: YAY! REVIEWS! Thank you everyone! Special thanks to Remco Van de Wittenboer and Claire Selene for your EXCELLENT comments. :-D Thank you!  
  
I¡¦m not trying to romanticize Sakura. This is how I think she¡¦d act if she was that age, 16. And yes, all the original Gennins are 16. If that counteracts with the plot line, then I¡¦m sorry. You can consider it AU if you want, but...they¡¦re 16.  
  
Q/C: you know what to do. icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	9. The Might of the Byakugan

==============================   
  
Chapter 09 : The Might of the Byakugan  
  
==============================   
  
Meanwhile, halfway across the room, the Sand Nins were conversing deeply amongst themselves.   
  
¡§That was a pretty pathetic front that girl put up.¡¨ Kankurro said. ¡§Imagine, her trying her hardest in a fruitless battle. It¡¦s enough to laugh at.¡¨  
  
¡§Shut up, Kankurro.¡¨ Temari snapped. She looked toward Naruto with an expression in her eyes only known as fondness. ¡§He¡¦s grown a lot since his visit 8 months ago. I don¡¦t think you could have done better than that Haruno girl.¡¨   
  
Kankurro gritted his teeth, and then unexpectedly made a surprisingly childish ¡¥humph¡¦ noise. ¡§As if you could do better.¡¨ He muttered, loud enough so he could hear it, soft enough so Temari couldn¡¦t understand it. He knew better from personal experience, not to get on his sister¡¦s bad side.   
  
=====================================================================   
  
¡§So... does the Air Village specialize in sleep spells, sensei?¡¨ Ten-Ten asked Gai as her fellow teammates chatted with Naruto some distance away. Both seemed to be very happy to see this boy.  
  
¡§Close.¡¨ Gai replied, breaking into her train of thought. ¡§Do you feel any pain right now, Ten-Ten?¡¨  
  
¡§No. Well- I have a headache where that boy hit me.¡¨  
  
¡§If it was a sleep spell, you wouldn¡¦t feel any pain. Just a little groggy, and maybe a short-term memory lapse. But if you feel an internal pain like a headache, it¡¦s most likely that it¡¦s not a sleep spell.¡¨ He said. ¡§From what I¡¦ve seen, it seems like the Hidden Air Village Nins have a very simple fighting style. They can finish off an opponent with one hit.¡¨  
  
¡§What do you mean, ¡¥from what I¡¦ve seen¡¦?¡¨  
  
He looked at her. ¡§This is the first time in about 22 years that I¡¦ve seen a shinobi from the Hidden Air.¡¨  
  
¡§What?!¡¨  
  
=====================================================================   
  
¡§If everyone would please look up,¡¨ Gemma interrupted, his voice laced with sarcasm, ¡§The next two fighters are about to be chosen.¡¨ On cue, they turned their faces upward, ceasing their babble. The two names finally appeared.  
  
Hyuga Hinata VS Ichirou  
  
Ichirou, the last of the Rain Nins, after seeing his name, immediately turned towards the stairs. //I¡¦ll be the first one out of my team to make it in.// he thought. //I will not bring shame to my village as the other two.//  
  
He took his first look as his opponent. And almost doubled over in laughter. This was it? This was his opponent? This was the best the Hidden Leaf Village could come up with? A dark haired, shy-looking little girl who appeared to be scared out of her wits?   
  
He would have shouted out some sort of insult, or played some sort of mind game with her, just to test her confidence. But then, he caught sight of her eyes. The Hyuga eyes.   
  
//I remember those eyes.// he thought, narrowing his own in anger, //The trademark of the Hyuga Clan.// He looked at the scoreboard. //Hyuga Hinata... the heiress.// he smirked. //The weakest one of the entire family, I heard. Pity.//   
  
He glared at her. //I will win.//  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Match, Start.¡¨  
  
//Since the Hyuga method of combat needs them to be up close to their enemy,// he thought, //I¡¦ll just make sure she doesn¡¦t come close to me.//  
  
¡§Byakugan!¡¨  
  
His head snapped up. The skin around Hinata¡¦s eyes had obtained many veins. Those eyes had lost their reserve, and were filled with determination. It was as if she could see everything at once. If she was going to do that then...  
  
He performed a series of hand seals. Then, with a puff of smoke, 20 or so clones appeared. //If she doesn¡¦t know which one is the real one, then she can¡¦t hurt me.//   
  
But something was wrong. She charged at him, and once she passed a clone, it just vanished in a puff of smoke. //That¡¦s not supposed to happen!// he thought. Then, with an afterthought, he realized something.  
  
//She¡¦s coming straight at me!//  
  
Indeed, Hinata was racing at him, defeating his clones on the way. //This isn¡¦t possible!// he thought as he created even more clones. But the process was only repeated. The more clones he created, the more she destroyed with a simple touch.   
  
//What is the Byakugan¡¦s power?// He thought as she came near him, closer, and closer. She reached out a hand, and he dodged.   
  
But even though he DID evade the attack, and her hand barely touched him, the area where she touched, it hurt! The pain was almost impossible to describe. What bothered him most, was that if such a small hit ached so badly, then what if she got a direct hit?  
  
He tried to perform another Genjutsu, but the odd thing was, wherever he focused the chakra in his body, she would suddenly hit it despite his efforts to dodge and execute at the same time.   
  
Finally, he managed to get far enough away from her so that he could at least have enough time to complete a seal. But when he executed the final seal, nothing happened. To his horror, he couldn¡¦t feel any chakra flowing in his hands.   
  
¡§Your chakra holes have been closed up.¡¨ Said Hinata, the first thing said throughout the whole match. ¡§Now you can¡¦t form chakra in either hands.¡¨  
  
//Shit.// he thought desperately. //Looks like I¡¦ll have to depend entirely on Taijutsu. But...// Sadly, he did not have enough confidence in his Taijutsu abilities. //But I have no choice.//  
  
He charged at her.   
  
Sadly, when a person attempts to take a Hyuga out, head out in hand-to-hand combat, the mentioned person is bound to lose. The same case happened here. No matter if Hinata WAS one of the weakest of the Hyuga Clan. No matter if her Byakugan was slightly less developed than her prestigious cousins¡¦. After a few hits from her, even he could not take it.   
  
He fell to the floor in exhaustion.   
  
¡§Oy.¡¨ Said the examiner¡¦s voice, ¡§You still able to battle?¡¨  
  
¡§I¡¦m... just... fi--¡¨ he cut off, blacking out.   
  
¡§Shousha [winner], Hinata.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
After Ichirou had been carted off the Infirmary, the next pair were immediately chosen.   
  
Myougo VS Hyuga Neji.   
  
¡§Oh good, Another one from the Green Brat¡¦s team.¡¨ Said Myougo from the other side, starting his way down the stairs. Apparently, he, too had a raspy voice and was older than most the participants. ¡§Time for revenge.¡¨  
  
¡§Humph.¡¨ Neji smirked. ¡§Does he really think that he can defeat me with that kind of attitude?¡¨  
  
Once given the permission, they immediately struck battle poses. Neji, activating his Byakugan, and Myougo, attempting some form of illusion. After the customary puff of smoke, 20 clones appeared. They surrounded Neji, and began to perform a series of hand seals.   
  
//Crap.// Neji thought, quickly formulating a plan in his head. //Must think of something fast... I got it!//  
  
Then, all at once, all the Myougo clones shot a green beam from their hands towards Neji in the center. But the odd thing was, after the attack, and after the smoke cleared, the clones were no where to be seen, and Neji was still standing where he was. Once all the smoke faded, it revealed a knocked out Myougo.   
  
¡§What happened?¡¨   
  
¡§Kawarimi no Jutsu.¡¨ Neji said, his eyes returning to normal. ¡§You used a lousy Bunshin no Jutsu, and I was able to detect the real one within all your clones. Then, when whatever spell you used was about to ignite, I used a simple body-switch with me and your real body, and the rest is history.¡¨  
  
//Shit.// Myougo thought angrily, but was quickly losing consciousness. //I¡¦m not the first one to underestimate one of the Hyugas.//  
  
Gemma walked over. ¡§I¡¦m going to assume that Myougo cannot battle. The winner, Hyuga Neji.¡¨  
  
=====================================================================   
  
A/N: Hmm. The Hyuga matches all in one chapter. This theme of underestimation is getting old. -.-  
  
Q/C: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com  
  
-Yume 


	10. The Sharingan

==============================   
  
Chapter 10 : The Sharingan   
  
==============================   
  
When Neji had returned to the higher elevated area of the building, he received many praises and congratulations on his win. As expected, he thanked them graciously, and had the courtesy to blush if the comment was overrated.   
  
But amidst all the ¡¥Great Jobs¡¦ and the ¡§Awesome Matches, one voice seemed to stand out from the rest. Akito¡¦s small, yet clear voice saying, ¡§Good fight, Neji-kun.¡¨   
  
Normally, Neji would have just ignored that someone. After all, he was from another village, and he beat up Ten-Ten. But he just couldn¡¦t. The way he had said it, with genuine sincerity, made it impossible for him to dislike him.   
  
¡§Thanks.¡¨ Neji finally said, earning him a smile.   
  
======================================================================   
  
Soon, after the poor chump who fought Neji was carted out, the selection screen ran again. Everyone¡¦s¡¦ eyes were glued to the screen, again. And Sakura, who had been knocked out for the last 2 events, woke up just in time to see the two new people who were paired up.   
  
AYATSURI VS UCHIHA SASUKE  
  
¡§About time.¡¨ Sasuke said, starting for the stairs, happy that he was finally able to fight.   
  
On the other side, Ayatsuri, a slightly older Mist Nin, also seemed pleased with his opponent. How hard could this skinny, dark-hair boy be?   
  
//But I will not underestimate my opponent.// he thought, remember the earlier fights of that day. //So many people lost because they underestimated the Leaf Nins.// He looked at Sasuke with contempt, and diminutive respect. //I¡¦ll just have to crush him quickly.//  
  
=====================================================================   
  
Immediately after Gemma had given them permission to start, Ayatsuri used the water remaining from the previous matches, to create a mist. The mist wasn¡¦t as thick as Zabuza¡¦s mist from so many years ago, but it was still effective enough so that you could only see the shadow of a person.  
  
//Perfect.// Sasuke thought, closing his eyes. //He can¡¦t see my weapon.//   
  
He opened his eyes again, and this time, both eyes were enveloped in his trademark Sharingan. They were by no means fully developed, but only a little more time was needed before they would become a true Sharingan.   
  
The fog wasn¡¦t thick, and the Genjutsu was weak, therefore allowing Sasuke to see clearly, as if the mist wasn¡¦t even there. He sneered as he saw Ayatsuri reach for a kunai. He was making this way too easy.   
  
He dashed toward his opponent with outstanding speed, hit Ayatsuri¡¦s chest with his left hand, then brought his right hand up, and landed an even harder blow on his stomach.   
  
The other boy jumped back, in pain and shock. Just before the fog covered up the other boy again, he caught sight of his eyes. The Sharingan.   
  
Sasuke did need not to delve deep into the Mist Nin¡¦s history to realize that this boy, for some reason or another, feared the Sharingan. If the widening of the eyes didn¡¦t give it away, the sudden jump to keep their distance far apart sure did.   
  
¡§So you¡¦re afraid of the Sharingan, eh?¡¨ Sasuke murmured, more to himself. Quickly forming seals with his hands, he blew a blaze of fire into the air.   
  
¡§What are you doing?¡¨ Ayatsuri asked, throwing his voice. He had apparently gained some of his confidence back.   
  
Sasuke ignored him, and continued to produce fire.   
  
//What is he dong?// Ayatsuri thought from his ¡¥safe¡¦ position near the Hand Seal statue. //He can¡¦t possibly see me. Therefore, he can¡¦t possibly attack.// He looked closer. Sasuke was now blowing random blasts, alternating directions. //Does he hope that I¡¦ll be stupid enough to get hit by one of those blasts?// he thought. //I thought the Uchiha Clan was more prestigious than that. Oh well, no matter.// he thought nastily. //He¡¦ll win my battle for me. He¡¦ll just run out of chakra.//  
  
But the more he saw, the more he grew nervous. Something was wrong. The Sharingan users could not possibly be this stupid... //OH NO!//  
  
All at once, he saw what Sasuke was doing. He was burning the mist. The fire burned out the water molecules in the mist, and now the arena was clear for all to see.   
  
¡§Shit!¡¨ Ayatsuri hissed, jumping from the Hand Seal statue. //This is bad! I-//  
  
But he never got beyond that. Sasuke with his amazing speed, had rushed over, and hit him again, once on the chest, once in the stomach, and the last on his head.  
  
¡§Examiner.¡¨ He said as Ayatsuri keeled over in pain, ¡§It¡¦s over.¡¨  
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§OH YEA!!! GO SASUKE-KUN!!!¡¨ Ino and Sakura cheered happily.   
  
¡§AMAZING FIGHT!¡¨ Ino gushed.  
  
¡§BETTER THAN AMAZING!¡¨ Sakura said, not to be outdone by Ino.   
  
Even though their childhood crush on Sasuke had diminished over the year, they still enjoyed fussing over him in a ¡¥friendly¡¦ rivalry.   
  
¡§You better be careful, Ino.¡¨ Sasuke said, finally appearing up the stairs.   
  
Throwing a triumphant look at Sakura, she continued in her honey-coated voice: ¡§Why, Sasuke-kun?¡¨  
  
¡§Your hopes of winning are really thin.¡¨  
  
¡§What do you mean?¡¨ Ino asked, suddenly serious.   
  
¡§The only people left are Temari, the Grass Nin, and that girl who¡¦s with Naruto. I think that boy called her Kai. Listen, if you fight her, and you have a bad feeling, or don¡¦t think you¡¦re going to win, forfeit. Don¡¦t try to fight a death match.¡¨  
  
¡§What?¡¨ Ino said indignantly. ¡§She¡¦s just a kid!¡¨  
  
¡§I know.¡¨ Said Sasuke. ¡§But there¡¦s something odd about her. I just don¡¦t know what it is. Also, everyone who we¡¦ve fought so far, the Grass Nins, Mist Nins, and Rain Nin, they all lost because they underestimated their opponents. Don¡¦t make the same mistake they did. Like I said before, promise us that you won¡¦t fight if you think you¡¦ll lose.¡¨  
  
¡§Alright.¡¨ Ino said. ¡§I promise.¡¨  
  
======================================================================   
  
Suddenly, the Screen came back to life, sorting through the remaining four. As suddenly as it started, it stopped on the names that made Team 07 heave a sigh of relief.   
  
UZUMAKI KURAKAI VS KISHUMORU.   
  
Only two noises were heard after the names were selected. One was the dripping of a non-existent faucet, and the other of the young girl saying:  
  
¡§It¡¦s Kai. KAI, dammit.¡¨  
  
======================================================================   
  
A/N: This chapter was so pointless¡K hmm.   
  
Questions or Comments: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	11. A Terrifying Ability

==============================   
  
Chapter 11 : A Terrifying Ability  
  
==============================   
  
Everyone had a different reaction upon seeing those two names on the screen. Besides Kai¡¦s obvious annoyance about seeing her real name, the other two of the Uzumakis seemed overjoyed.   
  
¡§Hey Kai!¡¨ Akito sing-songed as she made her way down, ¡§If you lose your match, you¡¦re treating us to dinner!¡¨   
  
This comment earned him a death glare from her. ¡§If I win,¡¨ she said, ¡§You owe me 10,000 yen.¡¨   
  
¡§Huh? What-NO! That¡¦s not what I-Aw...¡¨ he trailed off, continuing his conversation to himself, muttering an endless stream of curses, switching languages every now and then.   
  
Kishumoru, her opponent also seemed to be applauding his luck. After all, how challenging could she POSSIBLY be?   
  
//I will crush her.//  
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§Start.¡¨  
  
As soon as the words fell from Gemma, Kishumoru immediately charged at his younger contender. When he threw a powerful punch straight into her stomach, most people expected for her to do some flashy counterattack. Even if their expectations of her weren¡¦t all that high, they still expected her to at least dodge.   
  
But she just stood there. Worse, she took the punch, fell back a good amount of meters, and the punch connected firmly enough to make the people who were watching want to cringe.   
  
This... was it? This girl... this was all she could do? She couldn¡¦t even dodge a simple punch? She must have relied on her teammates throughout the whole first and second exams. For them, this was a big disappointment.   
  
But it appeared that only the Jounins, Neji, and Hinata seemed to see something different. The image of the girl who was feebly getting up was shaky. The outline of her body wasn¡¦t solid, and the Hyuga¡¦s Byakugan confirmed that she wasn¡¦t real. So she was either a clone, or... something else. For some reason, it didn¡¦t look like a clone.   
  
However, down below, Kishumoru had decided quickly, that this was the real thing. A clone would have dissolved by now, he reasoned, so now, he could use his full strength without worrying about his punching bag dissolving into air.   
  
Quickly after his conclusion and decision, Kishumoru was true to his idea. Blow after blow, kick after kick, he landed them effortlessly on Kai. And he was beating her up quite badly as well. Time after time, she would get up and then get knocked down. Up, down, up, down, her movements resembling that of a beach balls. Yet because Kishumoru wasn¡¦t expecting for her to be so resilient, his punches were hard and took a lot of energy, so by now, he was beginning to feel a little drained.   
  
//Who would¡¦ve thought a brat like this could have so much endurance?// he thought, after seeing the brat get up yet again. //It¡¦s already been 10 minutes. Why doesn¡¦t she just lay down and die? If it continues like this, it won¡¦t be good for me. Must end it... now.//   
  
He stopped his Taijutsu, made a bunch of seals with his hands, and said out loud, ¡§NINPOU! AIR CUTTING BLADES!¡¨  
  
Like the activation, his technique was exactly what it was. Air cutting blades. His arms glowed as he spread them apart like wings, then he brought them together at the front of his chest in a sweeping motion, folded his arms at the elbow, and let the two Chakra blades slice through the air. It knocked Kai back several feet, headfirst into a wall. When she fell, this time, she didn¡¦t move.   
  
¡§Finally.¡¨ He muttered. ¡§Examiner, it¡¦s ov-¡¨ He cut off. What was happening to her? When he had looked toward the general direction of the wall Kai had just crashed into, he expected to see a crumpled heap of skin, bones, and blood. Either that, or of her fruitless effort of attempting to get up.   
  
But what he least anticipated, was of the form of her slowly fading away into nothing. Little by little, she became even blurrier. Then, she disappeared completely.   
  
¡§Hey, dude.¡¨ Said a voice behind him. ¡§What were you doing?¡¨  
  
He whirled around. She was sitting lazily in an area of the gym that miraculously was everyone¡¦s blind spot.   
  
¡§When did you stop fighting?¡¨ he asked, dreading the answer.   
  
That comment seemed to enrage her slightly. ¡§When did I stop fighting?¡¨ she asked in a scary voice that seemed to barely conceal her wrath. ¡§I never started. If you had just taken enough time to look around you, you would have NOTICED that I was sitting here the WHOLE TIME you were wearing yourself out.¡¨   
  
¡§Impossible.¡¨ He growled. ¡§No clone in the world is strong enough to withstand the beating I gave it.¡¨  
  
¡§I never said it was a CLONE did I, now.¡¨ She said. ¡§I¡¦m not going to waste my time telling you my little technique. So too bad.¡¨   
  
¡§You little witch.¡¨ He growled. //I think I¡¦ve stalled long enough// he thought, flexing his hands. //I got enough energy to punch her lights out. But I need her to be close enough and I don¡¦t have that much energy to begin with, so...//   
  
In the meantime, Kai had stopped taunting Kishumoru, and had lapsed into deep silence. She was standing up, posture rigid, her eyes closed in concentration. Her hands had formed an odd seal. They were clasped together, index fingers joined, pointing up, and thumbs joined, pointing down.   
  
//I have to knock her out before she¡¦s done with whatever Jutsu she¡¦s trying to do.// he thought. He summoned up the last of his strength, and rushed at her, planning to slip behind her and knock her out that way.   
  
======================================================================   
  
Up in the stands, the two faces who had remained constant this entire time, were Naruto and Akito. The rest had contorted into agony, curiosity, surprise, and then suspense. What was that seal? What is she going to do? But they distinctly heard Naruto say to Akito, ¡§She¡¦s going to use THAT technique.¡¨ Now their interest laid in the question, what was THAT technique?   
  
Kishumoru was advancing on her quickly, and suddenly, he appeared behind her, fist raised. Then, she suddenly turned around quickly, jumped back a bit, and opened her eyes, wide.   
  
There was an immense explosion in the arena with the smoke and everything. But the sound of the explosion could not mask the sound of a loud, jarring shout of pain.   
  
When the smoke cleared, the sight before their eyes made their stomach turn. Kishumoru, the Grass Nin, was lying face down on the floor, covered in his own blood. When they looked closer, they saw that the bleeding resulted from numerous little holes on his face, arms, and legs exploding.   
  
The fear-inspiring thing was that the holes appeared to be his Tenketsus [chakra opening points]. For Neji and Hinata, they were both wondering if this girl could see Tenketsus. If she could, how did she hurt him so bad without even touching him?   
  
The only person who could possibly know the answer and was willing to share it with them, was probably Uzumaki Naruto.   
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§Examiner.¡¨ Kai said softly. ¡§I won¡¦t say it¡¦s over, but I¡¦ll say that if you don¡¦t carry him out quickly, he¡¦ll die.¡¨   
  
¡§Winner, Kai.¡¨ Gemma said, motioning for the Medic Nins to come quickly.   
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§Naruto?¡¨ Neji started, ¡§What...¡¨  
  
¡§happened?¡¨   
  
¡§Yea.¡¨  
  
Naruto laughed nervously. ¡§Well... I could tell you. But then she¡¦d kill me if I gave out too many secrets. But I guess I could say that one of her abilities, is chakra manipulation.¡¨  
  
¡§Chakra Manipulation?¡¨   
  
¡§Yeah. She can focus on the other person¡¦s chakra, and turn it into her own. Once their chakra has been converted into hers, she can either decide to use it to heal, harm, or--¡¨  
  
¡§Kill.¡¨ Finished Kai.   
  
They whirled around to look at her. She didn¡¦t look mad. Just a bit annoyed.   
  
¡§Naruto, didn¡¦t I tell you not to give away any more of my ¡¥secrets¡¦?¡¨ she asked.   
  
Her stance, her posture, her voice, and facial expression all expressed some form of mild exasperation, but the shine in her eyes showed that she wasn¡¦t truly as mad as she was.   
  
Naruto laughed with fake nervousness. ¡§I¡¦ll shut up.¡¨ Once she turned away, he mouthed to the others, ¡¥I¡¦ll tell you guys later.¡¦   
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§Did you see it?¡¨ Kurenai asked.   
  
Gai and Kakashi nodded. ¡§She is not normal.¡¨ Gai said. ¡§The ancestry of the Uzumaki Clan is amazing.¡¨   
  
¡§Yes.¡¨ Kakashi said. ¡§And the greatest of them all, will one day be Naruto. But as of now, She is probably the only one who can compare to Uchiha Itachi.¡¨   
  
What did the three Jounin instructors see? Kai had been wearing a black shirt with a long right sleeve, and a short left sleeve. Her left arm was wrapped in bandages, but only to her elbow. Right after the explosion, before everything was enveloped in smoke, her left sleeve had been lifted slightly, revealing a small, smoke shaped tattoo.   
  
An Anbu tattoo.   
  
======================================================================   
  
A/N: I DON¡¦T want to make Kai seem Mary Sue-ish, but based on this last chapter, a lot of people will think that she is. I¡¦m NOT trying to make her a Mary Sue. REALLY. She does have some flaws, which will be revealed later on.   
  
About the ¡§She¡¦s probably the only one who can compare to Uchiha Itachi comment? That doesn¡¦t mean that she can fight him and win. That just means that she can COMPARE. Itachi became a Chuunin when he was ten. Remember? NO she cannot beat him. Yes, she can be beaten by someone else other than a sennin, because she has one MAJOR flaw. [Clue: Lee could probably beat her.]  
  
Questions and Comments: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com  
  
-Yume 


	12. The Preliminaries Conclude

==============================   
  
Chapter 12 : The Preliminaries Conclude  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Will the two remaining contenders please step forward.¡¨ Gemma said, looking toward the opposing stands. ¡§Temari, Yamanaka Ino. That¡¦s the two of you.¡¨  
  
¡§Yes!¡¨ Ino said happily. ¡§It¡¦s my turn, FINALLY.¡¨ She silently applauded her luck that it was Temari she was fighting, not Kai. But she couldn¡¦t help but feel a nagging voice of worry in her head. Last year, Shikamaru had just barely gotten the upper hand, and still lost. This year... she was still having her own doubts.   
  
==============================   
  
Ino panted heavily as Temari dodged yet another one of her attacks.   
  
They had been fighting for at least 10 minutes now, and despite their previous attitudes, they soon realized that they were evenly matched. Sometimes Temari had the upper hand, sometimes Ino did, but whoever was winning, wasn¡¦t winning for long.   
  
But what worried Ino the most, was that throughout the entire time elapsed, Temari didn¡¦t once use the fan strapped to her back.   
  
//Why isn¡¦t she using it?// Ino thought, almost desperately as a particularly hard blow made the two of them land on opposite sides of the gym. //If she did use it, I¡¦d be wiped out in a flash. Is she trying to prolong this fight or something? //  
  
In truth, Temari was thinking about the words Naruto had said to her 8 months before, when he had visited the Sand Village. During a training session, after he had completely cancelled out her wind attack, he had told her:   
  
¡§I once heard someone say, ¡§Don¡¦t use a technique twice, or it¡¦ll be used against you.¡¨ Well, something like that. Anyway, you know that I¡¦ve already seen the way your fan works. That¡¦s why I could counter your attack. This is just advice, but ¡¥save your trump card until the very end. Only use it if you know that you¡¦re going to lose of you don¡¦t use it.¡¦   
  
//Naruto,// Temari thought. //I¡¦ve kept those words to heart, because you are the one who saved Gaara from the darkness, and you are the strongest person I know. But...//   
  
She glared at Ino. //If I continue this, it¡¦ll end up as a draw. I can¡¦t let that happen.// She reached for her belt. //Looks like I¡¦ll have to use the fan after all.//   
  
Ino¡¦s eyes widened as Temari drew out the fan. //Crap.// she thought. //My chakra...//   
  
Temari snapped the fan open. It wasn¡¦t the white one with the purple dots anymore. It was red with a small pattern of orange flowers painted in the corner, set on dark brown wood, and narrower than the former one. It didn¡¦t open as wide as the first one, and even though it was a weapon, it could easily been mistaken as a work of art in a museum somewhere.   
  
¡§NINPOU! KAMAITACHI!¡¨ she shouted, swinging her fan with as much force as she could.   
  
Only one, big, fast moving air blast was produced, which Ino barely dodged. When it struck the wall, it sliced a large dent in it.   
  
//Thank god.// Ino thought, but when she turned her head around, there was another one headed straight for her. And this time, she couldn¡¦t dodge it. It came in contact with her stomach and knocked her straight into the wall behind her, right beside the huge dent that had just been made.   
  
//She didn¡¦t anticipate another one coming from her blind spot.// Temari thought as Ino fell to the floor, unmoving. //That¡¦s why she lost.//   
  
¡§Winner, Temari.¡¨   
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§Hokage-sama?¡¨   
  
¡§Huh?¡¨ Tsunade mumbled, jerked out of her pleasant slumber, ¡§What?¡¨  
  
¡§The Preliminaries have ended, Hokage-sama. We await your words.¡¨   
  
¡§Oh, right.¡¨ She said, following the Leaf Nin to the arena. ¡§Did Naruto make it?¡¨ she asked.   
  
¡§Yes, Hokage-sama.¡¨ He said, ¡§All members of the Air Team have made it into the finals.¡¨  
  
¡§I guess that was pretty much a given.¡¨ She muttered, more to herself than to the other. ¡§The Air Village is notorious for having all Genins become Chuunins the first time around. I just never thought Naruto would be one of them.¡¨   
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§Congratulations to all of you.¡¨ Tsunade said to the 12 remaining Genins. 5 from the Leaf, 3 from the Sand, 3 from the Air, and 1 from the Mist. ¡§I will now explain the Main Test.¡¨   
  
¡§The battles you have just fought in have been seen by everyone present. They have witnessed each of your powers and fighting style. Just like last year, the Finals will be held about month from tomorrow. During this time, you can, shall we say, prepare for your upcoming battles. You have analyzed your everyone else¡¦s¡¦ strengths and weaknesses, as well as some of your own. During this month, you can use that time to improve yourself, and resting your body wouldn¡¦t hurt either.¡¨   
  
She waved her hands, and an attendant brought forward a small box.   
  
¡§Inside this box,¡¨ she said, ¡§are blank pieces of paper. Please pick one carefully, and hold onto it.¡¨   
  
After everyone had received the blank paper, she said, ¡§This will decide your Main Tournament Match Ups.¡¨   
  
She held up a blank card of her own. ¡§You see that screen over there?¡¨ she said, nodding at a big white screen titled Tournament with the lines drawn, and everything. ¡§What you will do, is send a bit of chakra into the white card you just got.¡¨ She then demonstrated it by sending her chakra into her own card. ¡§What will happen, is that the chakra you send into the card in your hand,¡¨ She held up another card in her other hand, this with a number 13 burned into it. ¡§will correspond with the numbers, and your names will be burned on the board that way.¡¨  
  
¡§So now, please transmit some chakra into your card, and take a look at the board.¡¨   
  
//I see,// Akito thought. //This system is so that no one can cheat. Cool.//  
  
One by one, the names appeared on the white screen. Once everyone¡¦s names where one the board, Shizune called the matches out, one by one.   
  
¡§Battle One: Hyuga Hinata and Kankurro.   
  
Battle Two: Uzumaki Kai and Temari  
  
Battle Three: Uzumaki Akito and Aburame Shino  
  
Battle Four: Rock Lee and Hyuga Neji  
  
Battle Five: Suzuka and Gaara   
  
And Battle Six: Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto¡¨   
  
After a moment, Tsunade said to the surprised faces of the Genins, ¡§You can leave at any moment to begin strategizing and training. We will meet in the Konoha Arena in 36 days starting tomorrow, approximately one month from now. If you don¡¦t have any questions, you are free to go.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
Once outside, the remaining Genins attempted to talk to Naruto once again. Only one problem, he was no where in sight.   
  
//Where¡¦d he go?// they wondered.   
  
Just when they were about to split up and go find him, a piece of paper floated down from the sky. It said in hastily scribbled words:  
  
¡§I can¡¦t explain everything right now. It¡¦ll take too long. If you want to, all of you can come over tonight. I¡¦ll explain everything then. I¡¦m staying at Room 15 at the Hotel Complex downtown. See you then. -Naruto¡¨  
  
//I¡¦m sorry everyone.// Naruto thought as he sped away from the group. //There¡¦s something I need to do that¡¦s long past overdue.//   
  
==============================   
  
¡§We should probably get going too.¡¨ Kai said to Akito after Naruto¡¦s departure.   
  
¡§Stupid Naruto-niisan.¡¨ Akito grumbled as they broke away from the group that was still looking at the place where Naruto last stood. ¡§Him and his flashy exits.¡¨  
  
¡§Jealous?¡¨  
  
¡§No.¡¨   
  
¡§Sure.¡¨  
  
¡§No, really!¡¨  
  
¡§Uh-huh.¡¨  
  
¡§Nee-chan!¡¨  
  
¡§Whatever. I¡¦m hungry. It¡¦s lunchtime right?¡¨   
  
¡§Yea...¡¨ Akito said, his stomach suddenly letting out a rumble.   
  
¡§I¡¦ll treat. Udon?¡¨  
  
¡§YES!¡¨ Akito shouted happily, the previous argument completely slipping his mind. ¡§Let¡¦s go!¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§We¡¦ll see you guys later!¡¨ Sakura shouted to Lee and Hinata¡¦s team. ¡§Bye!¡¨  
  
¡§See ya!¡¨ Ten-Ten and Lee yelled back as they headed the other direction. ¡§Bye!¡¨  
  
¡§Sasuke.¡¨ Sakura said, as soon as they were out of earshot. ¡§What do you think we should do? About tonight?¡¨  
  
He sighed. ¡§I don¡¦t know.¡¨ He said. ¡§I just don¡¦t know.¡¨   
  
Ino looked at the two of them worriedly. ¡§Hey!¡¨ she said, attempting to brighten the mood, and succeeding slightly, ¡§What¡¦s the big deal? We¡¦ll go anyway, right? Besides, we got the whole day to decide, right? So why don¡¦t you guys go home, get some rest, and we¡¦ll all go tonight, together.¡¨   
  
¡§Ok.¡¨  
  
¡§Great!¡¨ she said. ¡§I¡¦ll see you guys later!¡¨  
  
¡§Wait, Ino!¡¨ Sakura shouted, ¡§Where are you going?¡¨   
  
¡§I got to go tell Shikamaru that Naruto¡¦s back!¡¨ she shouted back, never stopping her run towards town, ¡§And on the way, Chouji might want to know too. See ya!¡¨  
  
Sakura and Sasuke smiled at their friend as she slowly disappeared. Though she was a poor substitute for Naruto¡¦s overwhelming hyper-activeness, she was a wonderful person.  
  
==============================   
  
Where was Naruto in such a big hurry to rush off to?  
  
Iruka-sensei had dismissed all the children for lunch, and was sitting at his desk contemplating what he would do for the next 45 minutes. He considered staying in to grade papers, but for some reason, he just wasn¡¦t feeling ready for it.   
  
But...  
  
Just when he was about to sit down and pick up the dreaded red ink pen, a familiar voice came from the door.  
  
¡§Iruka-sensei.¡¨   
  
He looked up and saw Naruto standing in the doorway.   
  
¡§Wanna go out for some Ramen?¡¨ Naruto asked, smiling at Iruka¡¦s shock.   
  
¡§My treat.¡¨  
  
======================================================================   
  
A/N: This chapter was more like a ramble¡K hmm.   
  
Thanks to LittlePetSimpson for all her wonderful, WONDERFUL ideas and help. :-D   
  
Q/C: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	13. Reminders of the Past

==============================   
  
Chapter 13 : Reminders of the Past  
  
==============================   
  
¡§WHAT? YOU KNEW HE WAS BACK THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN¡¦T TELL ANYONE?¡¨  
  
Shikamaru winced and rubbed his ear gently, attempting to sooth his ringing auditory organ. Now he remembers why he got Chouji earplugs 2 years ago when they first became Genins.  
  
¡§Calm down Ino.¡¨ He grumbled, hand still over the side of his head that was facing her, just in case she broke into another ramble. ¡§Yes, I knew. ONLY because Tsunade-sama sent me to go tell him that his Exam Application was confirmed.¡¨  
  
¡§So then why didn¡¦t you TELL us?¡¨  
  
¡§Well I don¡¦t know.¡¨ Said Shikamaru sarcastically, ¡§maybe because both of them, in one way or another, made me swear on pain of death, NOT to tell anyone. But if I had know you were going to yell at me like this, I probably would have told the whole village anyway.¡¨ He sighed. ¡§How troublesome.¡¨  
  
¡§Oh. Okay, well, just so you know, Naruto invited us over to his hotel room tonight. Here...¡¨ she looked around for a scrap of paper, and when she didn¡¦t find any, she pulled out a pen, grabbed arm, and scribbled the directions onto his wrist. ¡§Come if you want. I gotta go see Chouji. Later!¡¨ she ignored the look of disbelief on his face, and started toward Chouji¡¦s house.   
  
¡§ ¡§Come if you want¡¨?¡¨ Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he lifted his hand up to read what she wrote. ¡§I wouldn¡¦t miss this for the world.¡¨  
  
======================================================================   
  
¡§So THAT¡¦S why you left so suddenly!¡¨  
  
The two of them had gone to Ichiraku, just like all the times before, in the past. Ichiraku was, thankfully, still alive, and both him and Ayane [his daughter], were genuinely happy to see Naruto. It turned out, Naruto didn¡¦t have to pay anything after all. As soon as he walked in, Ichiraku set a bowl out with the works, and insisted that it was on the house.   
  
Iruka glanced at his former student, who was slurping down ramen, just like he had a year ago.   
  
¡§Naruto.¡¨ He said, ¡§Did you know what your leaving did to everybody? For months after that, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba couldn¡¦t even look Sasuke in the eye. Team 07 basically fell apart without you. They only got back together when Ino joined the team 2 months ago. From what I¡¦ve seen, they really missed you.¡¨   
  
¡§Oh?¡¨ Naruto said as he motioned for another bowl. ¡§I guess abstinence DOES make the heart grow fonder.¡¨   
  
¡§Naruto! It¡¦s not funny. Besides, where have you and Jiraiya-sama been all this time? And where IS Jiraiya-sama?¡¨  
  
¡§We¡¦ve been all over.¡¨ Naruto said, completing his 5th bowl of ramen and motioning for another. ¡§Sand, stone, rain, grass, lightning, mist, you name it. We¡¦ve been there. Around the world in 2 months. Must be some kind of record.¡¨ He chuckled. ¡§Ero-sen [pervert sennin] decided to stay in the Water Country. Said something about ¡¥summer in the Mist is not something to miss¡¦. He should be coming back to the village as soon as the Mist kunoichis kick him out.¡¨  
  
¡§Where have you been the other 8 months then?¡¨  
  
¡§Getting acquainted with my mom¡¦s side of the family.¡¨ Naruto replied, pointing at the Air forehead protector tied around his arm. ¡§You know, I always wondered why I didn¡¦t have parents. Now I know why. I also know who my real father is. I also know that only a select few people know that I¡¦m his son. You know, don¡¦t you, Iruka-sensei?¡¨   
  
He sighed. ¡§Yes. I know.¡¨  
  
¡§Now that I¡¦ve heard the entire story, I have a new goal. And until I fulfill that goal, I won¡¦t be able to pursue any other dreams. But now, with my cousin¡¦s help, I can achieve that goal.¡¨  
  
¡§What¡¦s that?¡¨  
  
¡§Kill Kyuubi.¡¨   
  
==============================   
  
Iruka looked out the schoolroom window, wishing the day would go by faster. He wanted to go home and just... sleep. Rest. Do something that would help him absorb all the information that Naruto had given him. After they had finished lunch and after Naruto had paid for all 15 bowls of Ramen despite Ichiraku¡¦s weak protests, Naruto had noticed the less than happy expression on Iruka¡¦s face.   
  
Somehow, Naruto had guessed the source of that unhappiness. He had reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Leaf Forehead protector Iruka had given him, almost 3 years before. He had said to him:  
  
¡§Don¡¦t worry. This¡¦ll be back on my head soon. When it goes back on, it¡¦ll stay there, permanently.¡¨ Then, Naruto had disappeared.   
  
Iruka looked at the clock, almost anxiously.   
  
//Only 3 more hours...//  
  
==============================   
  
On his way back to the hotel, Naruto was strolling, minding his own business... when he heard a familiar rustle behind him. He never stopped his walk, but also never failed to notice that the ¡¥rustle¡¦, whatever it was, was following him.   
  
//They¡¦ve gotten better.// he thought, //back then, if they¡¦d been this good, I probably wouldn¡¦t have noticed them. But now...// He sighed.   
  
¡§Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. You guys can come out now.¡¨   
  
Behind him, the rock that actually resembled a rock, and only had one hole in it, flipped over, and revealed the Konohamaru Squad. They didn¡¦t change a lot. Perhaps the only thing that WAS that the goggles had been replaced with-  
  
¡§NARUTO-NIICHAN! YOU¡¦RE BACK!¡¨ yelled Konohamaru, latching himself onto Naruto¡¦s waist. ¡§They said you had left the village forever, but you didn¡¦t, did you?¡¨  
  
He grinned. ¡§Course not. Congratulations on becoming Genins, guys.¡¨ The three of them patted their headbands proudly.   
  
¡§So... how have you three been? And who¡¦s your instructor?¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§How long were you planning on talking to them?¡¨ Akito complained. ¡§If we hadn¡¦t come along, you¡¦d probably still be talking.¡¨  
  
¡§True, true.¡¨   
  
Naruto and Konohamaru had talked for about two hours. Then, Akito and Kai had came along from eating lunch, and the former dragged Naruto away. Correction. First, the former and Konohamaru had gotten into a rather heated argument in which the conversation consisted of:  
  
¡§He¡¦s MY Naruto-niichan.¡¨   
  
¡§No he¡¦s MINE!¡¨  
  
THEN the former dragged Naruto away.   
  
¡§Jealous, Aki-chan?¡¨  
  
He glared at his sister, the only person in the world who could get away with calling him ¡¥Aki-Chan¡¦.   
  
¡§NO.¡¨  
  
¡§Yes you are.¡¨  
  
¡§No I¡¦m not.¡¨  
  
¡§Sure you¡¦re not.¡¨  
  
¡§Yes I- SHUT UP!!¡¨  
  
Kai turned her head away, but Naruto could have sworn that he heard her vaguely cough out ¡§Sucker¡¨ under her breath.   
  
He sighed to himself, wondering if he¡¦d ever be able to survive the next month with the two of them at each other¡¦s throats. //I love these two,// he thought //but one day, I swear, I¡¦m gonna knock their heads against a wall or something.//   
  
==============================   
  
Meanwhile, almost immediately after Ino had left, Sakura and Sasuke headed for the bridge.   
  
What remained of the original Team 07 had to have a meeting.   
  
==============================   
  
A/N: Hmm. Not THAT BAD of a chapter, eh?   
  
OH YES! And there are some people I want to address. Thank you all my reviewers! Every single one is so encouraging and helpful. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!   
  
-Yume 


	14. Unanswered Questions

==============================   
  
Chapter 14 : Unanswered Questions  
  
==============================   
  
¡§DID YOU? DID YOU KNOW, KAKASHI-SENSEI?¡¨  
  
Sakura winced at the force of Sasuke¡¦s outburst. It was unlike him to do such a thing. Then again, it wasn¡¦t everyday long lost teammates reappeared in the middle of a selective examination.   
  
¡§Calm down Sasuke.¡¨ Kakashi said. ¡§In answer to you question, no I did not know that Naruto was back. If I had known, you and Sakura would have been the first to know.¡¨  
  
The boy gritted his teeth, forced himself to relax, and sat back down on the bridge railing. ¡§Then¡K what do you know?¡¨  
  
¡§Depends. What do you WANT to know?¡¨  
  
¡§Why the hell did he leave? Where has he been all this time?¡¨  
  
¡§Gomen, Sasuke.¡¨ Kakashi said regretfully. ¡§I¡¦m afraid that information was so classified, that there are only three people who know, Naruto, Jiraiya-san, and Hokage-sama.¡¨   
  
Sasuke suppressed a sudden immature urge to roll his eyes. ¡§Then what DO you know?¡¨  
  
¡§More than you.¡¨   
  
Fortunately, before Sasuke could respond to that, Sakura cut in.   
  
¡§What¡¦s the Hidden Air Village, Kakashi-sensei?¡¨ she asked. ¡§I¡¦ve never heard of it before. Is it a new village, or something?¡¨  
  
¡§Ah, now that I know.¡¨ He said. ¡§Actually, the Hidden Air Village is one the oldest, if not THE oldest village ever in existence. Thousands of years ago, before any other ¡¥official¡¦ villages were created, there was already a Hidden Air establishment.¡¨  
  
¡§Then why have we never heard of it?¡¨  
  
¡§It¡¦s not a definite village. There are no ranks like Jounin, Chuunin, Genin, or Kage in that village. It¡¦s all about skill. There are 5 classifications. Beginner Nin, Shinobi, Advanced Shinobi, Anbu, or Leader.¡¨ Kakashi said.   
  
¡§But we know it exists, and that it was in the world long before any other village, because the original Hidden Air Village was composed of people with advanced bloodlines, and all the people with advanced family bloodlines originated from that village. Including the holders of the Sharingan.¡¨   
  
==============================   
  
¡§That¡¦s impossible, Gai-sensei.¡¨ Neji said firmly with narrowed eyes. ¡§You¡¦re saying that the Hyugas AND Uchihas originated from one village. That¡¦s just not possible.¡¨  
  
¡§Not JUST the Hyugas and Uchihas.¡¨ Gai corrected. ¡§Every single last family with an advanced bloodline is from that village. Every family in the Hidden Sand, Mist, Leaf, Grass, Rain, and Rock.¡¨  
  
¡§That IS a bit unbelievable.¡¨ Ten-Ten mused. ¡§But didn¡¦t you say that there hasn¡¦t been a Hidden Air Chuunin Exam participant in 22 years? If the village was that great, why don¡¦t they send more people in?¡¨  
  
¡§Umm¡K well¡K¡¨ Gai rubbed the back of his head, wondering how to explain the concept to his students. ¡§I guess you could say, they don¡¦t care.¡¨  
  
==============================   
  
¡§Don¡¦t care?¡¨ Hinata murmured. ¡§Why wouldn¡¦t they?¡¨  
  
¡§We don¡¦t know.¡¨ Kurenai replied. ¡§For all we know, maybe they DO care, but they¡¦re the only village that doesn¡¦t send consecutive candidates for the Examination. Even the Sand Village sends at least one team every year, but we¡¦re lucky if the Air Village sends one in 25 years.¡¨  
  
¡§Don¡¦t they need the money?¡¨ Hinata asked.   
  
¡§No. Think about it, Hinata. 99% of the Air shinobi are descendants of Advanced Bloodlines. If you were a customer, and heard of something like that, wouldn¡¦t you automatically assume that they¡¦re good? The Hidden Air¡K they¡¦re never assigned frivolous tasks like finding a cat, or exterminating roaches. They¡¦re only called upon for 2 reasons.¡¨  
  
¡§What are those two?¡¨ Hinata asked.  
  
==============================   
  
Kakashi glanced at his students. ¡§One.¡¨ He said, ¡§is assassinations. Because of the high skill and the different varieties of abilities, assassinations are perfect for them. The second.¡¨ He paused.   
  
¡§is warfare.¡¨  
  
Sasuke and Sakura¡¦s faces were suddenly snared in fear. //War?//  
  
¡§Both cases,¡¨ Kakashi continued, ¡§cost a lot of money. A regular Shinobi assassination costs hundred of yen. Advanced Shinobi assassinations cost even more, and if you hire their Anbu squad, you better have a LOT of money. Employing the Leader of the Hidden Air is out of the question. So the Hidden Air treasury is almost always full to the till. A one month war between two countries can cost up to millions of yen.¡¨   
  
[I¡¦m not sure about the currency, so we¡¦ll just use yen as an example]   
  
==============================   
  
¡§That¡¦s horrible!¡¨ Lee blurted out. ¡§That¡¦s why people with Advanced Bloodlines are alienated these days! Because their precedents are like that!¡¨ he paused, realizing that he was describing Neji in a subtle manner.   
  
¡§True.¡¨ Gai said. ¡§The second most recent major encounter with the Air Village was the War in the Water Country. Hundreds of Air Shinobi died then. But it was nothing compared to the most recent. In the most recent major case with them, thousands of Air Shinobi died. Thousands and thousands.¡¨  
  
Their blood turned to ice. //How could this be? How could such a village function?//  
  
¡§When was the most recent event?¡¨ Neji asked slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer.   
  
¡§It concerned the Leaf village.¡¨ Gai said.   
  
==============================   
  
¡§It was when Kyuubi appeared.¡¨   
  
Sakura¡¦s hands reflexively flew to cover her horrified mouth, and Sasuke¡¦s entire body went rigid.   
  
¡§Back then, the Kyuubi was such a threat, the Sandaime-sama and Yondaime-sama had to ask for help from Hidden Air Anbu squad.¡¨   
  
For a moment, there was silence. But an unexpected realization hit Sakura.   
  
¡§But wait, if the Leaf hired Air Nins, then wouldn¡¦t our bank be completely depleted?¡¨ She calculated the figures quickly in her head. ¡§If we had hired them, then we¡¦d still be in debt right now! What¡K¡¨ she trailed off.  
  
¡§Honestly, we don¡¦t know.¡¨ Kakashi said. ¡§It was a matter only the 3rd, 4th, and the Air Village know. We¡¦re not sure why, but we only paid a small sum of that money.¡¨  
  
//¡K only a small sum?//  
  
==============================   
  
¡§What¡¦s wrong with the two of you?¡¨ Ino asked insistently as they walked toward the Hotel. ¡§You two have been acting all funny since your talk with Kakashi-sensei.¡¨  
  
¡§You know, don¡¦t you?¡¨ Sakura mumbled, kicking a gray pebble. ¡§The history of the Hidden Air¡K¡¨   
  
¡§Yea.¡¨  
  
¡§So why aren¡¦t you a little bit bothered by it?¡¨ Sakura said, giving the stone a sudden, violent punt. ¡§Why aren¡¦t you¡K¡¨  
  
¡§What? Disturbed?¡¨ Ino asked. ¡§Listen, I have a lot of questions too. But whatever they are, I hope I have enough patience for Naruto to answer them instead of just jumping into conclusions.¡¨  
  
Those sentences, no matter how random, seemed to calm the two brooding people.   
  
¡§By the way,¡¨ Sakura said. ¡§Where are Shikamaru and Chouji? I thought they¡¦d be coming with you.¡¨  
  
¡§Oh that.¡¨ Ino laughed. ¡§Shikamaru¡¦s probably already there. And Chouji¡¦s not coming. He¡¦s got this really bad stomachache, so I told him that I¡¦d tell him everything that Naruto tells me.¡¨   
  
The three of them went on towards the road to the answers of their questions, meeting Hinata and Gai¡¦s team along the way. Hinata, informed them that Kiba wouldn¡¦t be going because his fight with Suzuka caused his old wound when fighting Sakkon and Ukkon to open up.   
  
They went up the elevator to Room 15, and knocked on the door. When they opened it, they were immediately greeted by¡K  
  
======================================================================   
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I¡¦ve been sick, then on Thursday night, I was about to update when my computer crashed or something like that. I thought, ¡§Oh, it¡¦s okay, I¡¦ll update tomorrow night.¡¨ But when my computer came back on, ALL MY FILES WERE DELETED. EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE. ALL MY PICTURES, UNRELEASED STORYS, WHATNOT. On top of that, my Internet just CONKED OUT.   
  
Friday the Thirteenth has been very bad for me.  
  
  
  
So I had to retype this all on Sunday, and thank god for all my backup files. Internet didn¡¦t start working again until Sunday Night at 9:40PM, so I¡¦m sorry for everyone who was expecting an update.   
  
Another thing: Using my backup files, I reedited every chapter so it¡¦s slightly more readable now. Have fun!   
  
The reason I¡¦m revealing everything in one chapter, is because I¡¦m not good with releasing information little by little. It¡¦s not my style. Too advanced. -.- That¡¦s why the next chapter is ¡¥tell all¡¦.  
  
Questions and Comments: icy_cloud359@kuririnmail.com   
  
-Yume 


	15. What Was Then

AN: I should probably mention beforehand, Naruto already told everyone about Kyuubi maybe 1 or 2 months before he left.   
  
Another thing is, I just realized that I never put a disclaimer up. So here it is:  
  
"I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto-san gets all the work, but I get all the fun."  
  
==============================   
  
Chapter 15 : What Was Then  
==============================   
  
A great big ball of white fluff slammed straight into a poor, unsuspecting Neji's stomach, knocking him into the hallway wall. The great big ball of white fluff then proceeded to slobber the living daylights out the poor, overwhelmed boy.   
  
One day, when the mood wasn't so tense, Lee would conjure up this moment of Neji's distress in his head, and have himself a nice little laugh.   
  
"Shiro!" came a voice that drew nearer and nearer, "Come back here you stupid mutt!!!"  
  
Akito appeared from around the corner with a distinctly more casual attire than his exam getup and an almost comical exasperation etched into his childlike appearance. He caught sight of the small group, flashed a grin, and then resumed his previous aggravation.   
  
"If Nii-chan KNEW you were still trying to kill people like this." He grumbled, latching his arms around Shiro's fuzzy body, "He'd probably do something bad to you. Maybe he'd get you declawed¡K" Then, as if 'declawed' was the magic work, Shiro perked up, released Neji from his weight, and shot past Akito into the hotel room.   
  
Days later, the guests at the Konoha Hotel and the people in the surrounding area would be wondering just who exactly screamed bloody murder that day.   
  
==============================   
  
"Meet Shiro." Naruto said with a grin stretched from ear to ear. "He was a cub when Jiraiya and I found in a forest of the Hidden Snow Village in the Wave Country." He patted the wolf's fur, which somehow remained spotless, even after the chase he had led his young master through the house. "Isn't he cute?"  
  
While they didn't say it, the little group could certainly imagine Akito's reaction had he been there.   
  
CUTE?! THIS LITTLE FURBALL, CUTE?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FREAKIN' MIND, NII-CHAN? DID YOU EVEN HAVE ONE TO BEGIN WITH? Cute. HAH!  
  
All of a sudden, the words he had just spoken clicked.   
  
"You were with Jiraiya-sama this whole time?" Lee asked.   
  
"Yeah, I was with him until about 7 or 8 months ago." Naruto said. "Then we went our separate ways, but I guess it wouldn't make a lot of sense unless I start from the very beginning."   
  
He leaned forward, succeeding in 'unwittingly' creating a suspenseful mood so thick it could be cut with a knife. "Can you handle it?"  
  
After getting a few resolute nods, he pointed to his eye, the one hidden by his hair. "I'm sure you guys have noticed this." He said, earning him a few nods. "This is why I left."   
  
He lifted up the patch of hair, earning him surprised gasps and expressions from the people there. While his left eye was the brilliantly bright sky blue it had always been, his right eye had mutated into a hideously red color with an even more hideously red slit for a pupil. It was the eye of a fox. The eyes of Kyuubi.   
  
He quickly dropped the curtain of hair back in place and gently massaged his eyelid while his opened one silently observed their reactions.   
  
There was none of the disgust he originally thought he'd get. No. There was definitely surprise. A bit of fear that had been expected and had died down quickly.   
  
==============================   
  
He stood up. "I have already told you guys the story of the Kyuubi being sealed inside of me, but there's another part of the story that i just recently learned. It turns out, Kyuubi has been a problem for Konoha years before any of us were even born. It just never became hostile until the last few years.   
  
"During those last five years, the Kyuubi became such a great problem, that Anbu and Nins from the Air Village had to be called in just to keep the village safe."He walked over to the mantel, took a photograph, and held it up. "My mother was one of them."   
  
He held the picture up.   
  
There were five people in the frame, four of them males, one female. The female had black hair, blue eyes, and looked hauntingly familiar...  
  
Suddenly, they realized who his mother looked like. She was an exact replica of Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu, except with black hair and she had on the exceedingly stylish clothes of an Air Village Anbu.  
  
She even had pigtails for crying out loud.   
  
Then, as if he read their minds, he grinned. "This is my mother." he said. "Uzumaki Kirika. She was one of the Air Nins who came to Konoha. 20 years ago, she met my father, fell in love with him, and 5 years after, she married him, and got pregnant with me."   
  
[A/N: I don't really know about the real timeline, but in this story, the cast are all around 16 years old, became genin at age 13. If the age doesn't match up, then just consider it AU, because I find it hard to believe that 11 year olds can leap from tree to tree with ease.]  
  
"Their marriage was never made public, so few people knew that the two were husband and wife. My uncle, who was and still is the Leader of the Air, was among the group of people who knew. He wasn't exactly pleased with his younger sister's choice of husband, but he made no objection."   
  
He paused, taking a breath. Then continued:  
  
"I was born on the night Kyuubi attacked for real. My mother had just given birth to me when she was called out to duty. There were just too many Nins, Air and Leaf, who had already died. When she went out to fight, she was extremely weak and tired from labor. That's what got her killed."  
  
The room was silent at that moment. Not a drip from a mysterious faucet or a tweet from a bird. Silence, as if in remembrance of his mother.  
  
He finally continued. "I don't know what happened to my father afterwards. I only found out why he did what he did a few weeks ago. In his last letter he wrote to my uncle, he said, 'Kyuubi has already claimed the soul of my wife. I refuse to let him claim that of my son's.'  
  
"So that night, he summoned his signature Summon one last time to meet the Kyuubi. That night, he sealed it away inside his only son. Me."  
  
It took a moment for that last thought to sink in, only a moment. The story was hauntingly beautiful, and combined with his voice, had entranced them entirely, whisking them away into the folds of time itself. When his voice stopped, it was as if their souls were forced back into their suddenly imperfect, human bodies.   
  
When the last sentence he spoke finally registered, they started and stared incredulously at him. He who was wearing an all knowing smile upon his face.   
  
"You...?" Shikamaru began uncertainly, feeling uncharacteristically stupid. "Yondaime-sama's son... is you?"  
  
"Yes." he answered. "The much revered Fourth Hokage of Konoha Village is my father."  
  
==============================   
  
"Nii-chan is so stupid!" Akito cheered happily as the two siblings strolled down the nicely populated lanes of Main Street. "I can't believe he didn't catch us sneaking out. Ha-Ha!"  
  
Kai remained silent, but inside, she was cracking up. She had already sent Naruto a message earlier that they were going out. His response had been Don't kill anyone.  
  
She considered telling her poor, ignorant, fool of a brother. But then again, it would take the fun out of seeing him act like a retard, then going home and see him FEEL like a retard. Nevermind his oblivious look when he asked her why she HAD to get a camera. He would find out soon enough.   
  
There was a slight rustle of footsteps behind her as the two descended into a slightly smaller alleyway that was less populated. The footsteps would have been undetectable to a normal person. But for the two of them...  
  
Another rustle.   
  
She sighed and rolled her eyes.   
  
"Come out you-" Akito called out, adding along a string of unprintable curses. "We hear you already."  
  
She sighed again and rubbed her temples, the -almost- instant reflex to, usually, any antic her imbecile brother was up to.   
  
"Let's GO you stalker person!" he continued yelling, like there was no tomorow. "We don't got all day!"  
  
Then, out of the shadows, stepped a figure.   
  
==============================  
  
"So anyway," he continued amusedly as the shock began to wear off the faces of his stunned guests, "Why I left."  
  
He leaned forward. "You see this eye?" he asked, pointing to 'the eye'. "This is why I left." He sat back again.  
  
"You know the day that we fought the sound four?" he asked, ignoring the simultaneous flinch of the people who were present that day. "When I fought Kimimaro, do you remember how long the Kyuubi's chakra was active? Probably a few hours, eh? When I woke up the next morning, I found that suddenly, my eye have become just like Kyuubi's. So I went to the Hokage to ask her about what could have possibly happened to my eye."  
  
"She told me that since the Kyuubi's chakra has been active for so long, parts of it got into my system. Namely, my eyes. She then told me very bluntly that there was no way I could stay in Konoha because the chakra in me was very unstable and dangerous, and there was just that slight chance that it could take over my body."  
  
"So that was the day I left Konoha with Jiraiya. Since then, we've been all over the place for the first eight months of my little 'disappearance'. We've gone to the Sand Country, the Rock Village, we visited the Wave country again- I saw Tazuna-san and Inari. They say 'Hello'." he added to his former teammates.   
  
"Two months ago." he said, "That was around the time when I first entered the Air Village. And let me say, that was the most exhilerating experience I've ever had."  
  
======================================================================   
  
A/N: Okay, before I get hit with virtual tomatos, rotten stuff, and whatever else you guys want to throw at me for lack of updates, let me just say that I AM really REALLY sorry for not updating sooner. First, my computer crashed. Then, it came back. Then, it crashed AGAIN. Sadly, I was halfway done with chapter 15 and did not have a backup or anything. So [2] weeks later, I FINALLY got myself another computer. A better one. The only flaw? It doesn't have Microsoft Office because it's imported or something. So right now, I'm using Notepad to type up everything. So my grammar and spelling probably won't be as perfect.   
  
I KNOW that I said that I was going to type everything up in one BIG chapter, but I have a lot of reasons NOT to do that by now. First of all, the constant writers block has never gone away. Second, if I just include everything in one chapter, then I'd just have another excuse not to update for an even longer amount of time than ever. Third, if I release it a little at a time, I can organize my thoughts better, and release chapters faster.   
  
I've wanted to post some sort of Author's Note to let you guys know what in the world's been wrong with me, but FF.Net has a rule against that, and I don't want to risk ROTU getting deleted.   
  
Again, I'm REALLY sorry.   
  
I'm thinking about changing the name of this Fic to 'Irreplacable'. Tell me what you think because ROTU is a mouthful and bothersome to type.  
  
During my time away, I was still active on emails. I got a lot of them and I thank you all for that. It makes my life a lot better off than it actually is because I'm a sad, sad person, and reviews are usually the only things that fill my inbox.   
  
Here are the much needed credits that need to be given out:  
  
- Claire Selene: Wonderful correspondant. Helped me from being my beta-reader, to thinking up names like Shiro and Kirika.  
  
- LittlePetSimpson: For helping me organize my thoughts from the chaotic cavern of my mind.   
  
- Loon Luu: List of Jutsus. Thanks!   
  
- Pyr00tje: Just for always being there to make sure I was alive and things like that.  
  
- And lastly, to all my reviewers: Who kept on urging me to continue this story. Thank you all.   
  
Also, you may note that I've changed my name to Yumemi-chan. I've finally learned some Japanese [My mom learned it when she was in High School] and she taught me that it's "Possesser no Possesee." In short, Yume no Tenshi was literally Dream's Angel. Which made absolutely NO SENSE.  
  
-Yume


	16. What Is Now

==============================   
  
Chapter 16 : What Is Now  
  
==============================   
  
It was silent in the room. It was silent outside in the night. The only sound that could be heard in the small hotel room was the vague and almost nonexistent breathing of the occupants.   
  
He only noticed the silence when he paused to take a breath after talking for so long. It wasn't until then did he realize that his throat was positively screamed for water.   
  
"I'll be right back." he said, in a sudden hoarse voice, as he dove for the tiny little kitchenette in the back of the room.   
  
As he walked away from the group, they got a good look at his backside. It wasn't until then did Hinata catch sight of a small ponytail poking out of the mess of blonde hair. It was small and nothing more than a few strands of hair longer than the rest tied together. But for some reason, it struck a chord in her.   
  
Just another thing about Naruto that's changed.  
  
He came back quickly with a bottle of water in his hands. "Okay, now where was I? Oh yes, my journey in the Hidden Air Village..."  
  
=============================  
  
"This was around the time Jiraiya and I went our separate ways." he said. "It was totally unexpected too. We were on our way to the Wave County- he wanted to get ideas for his new book. We spent the night at a motel, and the next morning, when I woke up, I heard him talking to somebody. That 'somebody' was a messenger from the 'Leader'."  
  
He took a breath and continued. It wasn't until much later did Sasuke wonder how he knew that they already knew who a 'Leader' was.   
  
"He said that his job was to take me to meet the Leader. At the time, I didn't know who the crap this 'leader' person was and I thought the guy was psychotic. But then Jiraiya told me to go with him. At first, I said no. But eventually I went." he said, unwilling to elaborate on the matter any further.   
  
"Now, before I go any further, I have to tell you guys, the Hidden Air Village is amazing. It is THE invincible fortress every Shinobi Village strives to be. First of all, it's not a place where you can just walk into. You need to know a special technique to get it, and it can't be copied by anything. Up until now, I'm still not sure how he did it, but one minute we were standing in the middle of a forest somewhere within the Wind Country, and the next thing I know, the messenger slams his hands into the ground and the landscape melts into this amazing place. He turns to me and says 'Welcome to the Hidden Air Village, Naruto-kun.'"  
  
=============================  
  
And out of the shadows, stepped Kakashi.   
  
"Oy, I don't think it's normal for teachers to stalk their former student's family members." Akito said.  
  
"I'm not trying to stalk." Kakashi said easily, hands held up defensively. "I just wanted to have a little talk."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because there are things that I, as a Leaf Jounin and Naruto's former teacher, need to know."  
  
"Need to know?" he asked doubtfully.   
  
"Need to know, want to know, give or take."  
  
=============================  
  
"Now, I'm not going to tell you a whole lot about the village itself." Naruto said. "One of the major rules of the place. All I CAN tell you is that the technique to get in is really complicated, and only certain people can teach it. Even if you know all the seals and amount of chakra needed, if you aren't taught by the proper people, then your jutsu is invalid and you can't get in anyway."  
  
"So like I was saying," he said, promptly continuing with his story. "The Messenger took me straight to this big estate in the west section of the village. On the way there, he told me that his name was Uzumaki Kaze, and that he was my third cousin. That is to say, he's my mother's father's brother's daughter's son. I was kind of surprised because all along, I thought he was just a random Shinobi. But he's a great person."  
  
"Moment later, I met with the Leader. I was expecting some person with graying hair and a beard or something because Kaze told me he was around 46 years old. But I saw a young man with black hair and blue eyes, just like my mom. His name was Uzumaki Eiichirou. He's my uncle. His twins, Kai and Akito, are my cousins. That's basically how I met my family."  
  
=============================  
  
"I can't believe we went through all that just so he could deliver a message." Akito jabbered. "If the Hokage had a message for us, why didn't he just say so in the first place?"  
  
"Who knows. Maybe he's a melodramatic-" then she went on, adding a string of curses unfit to put on paper.   
  
"Yea. Maybe." Akito said, suddenly mellow. "I wonder what kind of message the Old Lady has for us."  
  
"Old Lady?"   
  
"Yea. I'm gonna use Naruto-niichan's nickname for her. It'd really piss her off wouldn't it?"  
  
"..."   
  
So much for mellow.   
  
=============================  
  
"The Uzumaki Clan is by far the oddest clan in the book." Naruto continued after allowing a brief moment for his friends to absorb the information. "I'm sure you already know that all the bloodlines come from the Air Village. The Uzumaki Clan is a combination of all those bloodlines, including ones that have died out already. Each individual Uzumaki has a different ability. Kaze, for example, has the Byakugan and I think some form of the Sharingan, Kai has her Chakra manipulation, and I'm not sure what Akito has. But I've been told that there are only two traits that all Uzumakis have."  
  
"One," he said, "is that they all live for a long time if uninjured."  
  
He glanced around the sea of confused faces.  
  
"It is said that the nerve and muscle cells in the human brain and heart have a lifespan of 200 years, while the normal cells have a lifespan of 300 years. But for various reasons, the majority of humans die before they fulfill that potential lifespan. So we actually live longer than the average person."  
  
=============================  
  
"Why does the Hokage want to see us?" he wondered aloud to anyone who would listen. Or rather, the only person listening, which happened to be his sister.   
  
"I don't know." she said as they stepped in the elevator leading toward the Hokage's office. "Maybe she wants to know why Naruto's beein gone too."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
The elevator stopped and they walked out toward the door leading to her office.  
  
"Why" Akito continued, opening the door," would the Hokage call us out at two in the morning just to-"   
  
He cut off. The two stared at the Hokage and the other person in the room. Then, together, they said at the same moment:  
  
"Ohayo, Otou-san."  
  
=============================  
  
"Now, before I go on, how old do you guys think Kai and Akito are?"  
  
"Around 9 or 10." Shikamaru reasoned, while the others nodded in agreement.   
  
"Actually, they're 13 going on 14." he said.   
  
"The second trait is that there's a clan somewhere in the Hidden Snow Village that all the members remain young until their time of death. When you take that and combine it with the long life trait..." he trailed off. But everyone understood anyhow.   
  
Naruto would be the one who would one would live to see them die.   
  
======================================================================   
  
A/N: I'm so sorry... this chapter was crap, i know. I'm just kind of spewing information left and right. I don't know what's wrong... Hopefully in the next chapter, it'll all come together. I mean, my beta-reader was REALLY helpful. It's just that I just did a bunch of things without consulting her. I shall never do that again.  
  
Yes, as some of you may noticed, Return of the Unforgettable has been changed to "Irreplaceable". The latter just makes more sense to me because the entire story isn't just about his return.   
  
Kaze is the name requested by a person in a review. I know I didn't tell her directly that I was going to use the name Kaze because of my legendary laziness, but I really hope she likes Kaze's character.   
  
I've read up on the latest Naruto Manga. [chapters 200-215] and based on what I read, Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari and DEFINITELY coming in sometime soon. So Sand Nin fans can start celebrating.   
  
Lastly, my school has been let out [thank god] so now, this story will be updated much much more. Hopefully. And I hope the people who read "Irreplaceable" will be happy too.   
  
Questions/Comments/Just want to talk: **icycloud359kuririnmail.com  
  
**-Yume


	17. Last Note

This will be one long Author's note explanation on why I haven't updated. Please read the entire thing before yelling at me.  
  
I have a very good and valid reason as to why I'm not updating anymore. I am one of the many people in the world diagnosed with a terminal heart disease. I've known for the past year, but the disease has worsed rapidly since then. It's now reached a stage in which it's absolutely unhealable. I'm in my homeland right now to enjoy life while I can.  
  
I've thought about disappearing like many other fanfiction authors out there, but I've found that I just couldn't do that, not without a valid reason, so that's why I'm writing this up. You don't need to leave a review nor do you need to email me since I'm shutting down my email after I post this letter.  
  
I'm so sorry to everyone who has been supporting me in this. Everyone here has made my writing fanfiction experience magical and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  
  
To Claire Selene: The person I'm most sorry towards is you. You were the first friend I made when I started writing around a half a year ago and I'll never be able to repay what you've done for me. You were an excellent beta reader and an excellent friend. Thank you so much. I'm sorry for not responding to your emails, but I couldn't tell you that I was sick 'like that' because I wanted to keep my online life and personal life seperate. Now I find I can't do that anymore and I'm so sorry.  
  
To Pyr00t: You are the one who always motivated me to write at all and you were also one of the two people who emailed me to tell an amateur writer that you enjoyed my work. Thank you, and I'm sorry for never getting around to finishing the last chapter.  
  
To Everyone who requested a story: I talk big, but I never got around to doing those for you guys. I didn't have the time and I hope you understand.  
  
Lastly, my final note to everyone is, once again, to apologize for never finishing. If by any chance a miracle happens and a cure is discovered, I'll continue this story and my schooling. Otherwise, this is goodbye. Thank you.  
  
-Yume 


End file.
